AZ Saga: The Sweetest Days, Part One
by LadyDi
Summary: “I don’t want to touch you...I’ll hurt you again. I can’t bear to SEE you like this Hilde. I don’t want to see you this defenseless...I’ve never seen you anything BUT strong. ...It just hurts inside.”
1. Chapter 1

The year is 195. Earth and the colonies are at war to be free of each other. After the end of the Alliance, Oz had sprung up. Supposedly taking place of the tyrannical military organization, they posed the same threat when one looked past the exterior. Now a main power in space and on earth, they are faced with a threat to their manipulative existence. Known as messengers from the colonies, the military power faces the fiercest opposition they've ever seen. The worst blow to the ego is, their opposition is starting to crumble to CHILDREN.

Eventually the five became knowledgeable of each other and started to work together. Throughout the war, they faced much opposition. Now the war seems to have turned in a 180. The colonies now DESPISE their efforts of freedom, turning towards the Earth for hope. Many hid away to escape capture, some returning to the colonies. Some went off by themselves; others have taken refuge with the most ironic of situations.

Hilde Schebeiker met Duo Maxwell on the base when he was captured. She was part of Oz at the time and saw the light by his way of 'reasoning'. After being stripped of everything she had come to know, she returned to the colonies. Reuniting with Duo again, the two shacked up in a salvage yard, hiding from the war. There was a time when Duo fought and then returned to Hilde. This was no more. Duo had not seen battle in nearly two years and Hilde was rather content with the idea. The two grew close in a playful manner. Duo managed his way around the salvage yard and took a few scraps of metal here and there to slowly fix up his Gundam. Hilde managed the books, took care of the house...general maintenance stuff. She normally did the cooking as well; tonight was no exception. Soup suited her needs tonight, even if it didn't placate Duo. Well he would just have to deal.

She smirked and watched him across the table. He rambled on about having to deal with the idiots on the colony that expected extremes from him. "Why Duo, I never pegged you for such a whiner." She teased, trying to keep her face even.

Duo raised an eyebrow and raised the bowl to his lips to sip it. Even though he had a perfectly good soupspoon sitting on the table, he chose to go the slob's way of eating. "I'm merely stating the fact that there are too many morons on this colony. God do I hope they're not EVERYWHERE." He repeated.

Hilde's head shook in bemusement. "Then why don't YOU do the books and I'LL take over the mechanics? You can fix up Deathsycthe in the meantime. That way you won't have to stand the 'idiots'."

"Because I'm better in the yard than you are." He commented.

She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm helpless? I DO know mechanics and machinery you know." She nearly spat out.

"I'm not saying you're HELPLESS, I'm just saying that you aren't as strong as I am." He muttered, head hidden behind the bowl.

"Are you calling me WEAK?" Hilde felt anger start to boil on low. Duo always managed to keep her away from the yard and help even though they BOTH lived there. In her opinion, two were better than one. She could work the books AND do the general repairs to help Duo out. They were about the same body build, so it wasn't like she was PHYSICALLY weaker than he was. If THAT'S what he was getting at, she was going to BOP him one! He gave a playful smile and she fought to keep an infectious grin off her lips. She scowled instead.

"Maybe." He drawled.

Both her eyes narrowed. They normally had little scuffles at dinner, usually starting out like this. Hilde found it fun for the most part, even when it turned physical. Sometimes she ended up hurt, but never showed the pain to Duo. She guessed that since they spent so much time together, it was his way of flirting. And having proven that little theory, it allowed her to subtly flirt back and still keep in the safety zone.

'Well then, let the games begin.' She thought. Smoothing out any expression from her face, she kept emotions hidden away, creating a neutral mask to keep from revealing her plan. Picking her soup up, she ignored his last comment and sipped it a little. It was his way of flirting that also got a rise out of her. She lowered the tip of the bowl just enough so she could peek at Duo. He picked up his bowl again and she waited till he nearly held it to his mouth. Her lips turned up in an evil smile and, knowing she was blundering into another brawl, flung the ceramic bowl directly at his. Both shattered, spilling soup all over the front of Duo's clothes and some splattering on her as well. His chair initially jerked back, staring at his clothes in shock, before yanking wide-eyes up to her. Hilde also stood up quickly, knocking her chair to the ground. The two faced each other across the table, sizing the other up. Duo's eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch before he dove over the top of the table at her with an evil smile toying with his lips. Leaping into action, she dropped to the floor and scrambled in between the legs of the table. She quickly stood in the place Duo was seconds before...each now facing the other, gripping the edges of the table in a mini showdown. She tried to predict what move he would make, but was unable. She spied the silverware still lying haphazardly on the table and grabbed it. Throwing one at Duo's face, she used the few spare seconds to gain some distance.

He dodged perfectly and cracked a smile. "Do we have to go into this again? I KNOW you remember what happened last time. Do we need to call 9-1-1 later?" His smile was patronizing and Hilde felt her anger start to boil again the longer she stared at it. She always DID have to listen to his boasting every time they called and his lectures about her temper. "Come on now, a dislocated shoulder was enough. Let's just clean up and call it a night."

"Not THIS time Duo. You should know better than to make cracks about how weak I am. I'm NOT fragile! I DO recall that's how you got that nasty gash in your arm last time." Hilde's eyes narrowed and a smile boasted her previous triumph.

"Humph, that was a weak moment. And only cause you spilt water all over the floor. Come on now; just give up. I know that's not easy cause you're so stubborn, but you can try."

Her anger and determination went up another notch from his patronizing smile. He was doing it AGAIN! How could she NOT get mad when he looked at her as if she couldn't HANDLE herself?? "Well if you wouldn't GIVE me just cause to beat your ass down, I wouldn't GET fired up!" She retorted back. She maneuvered her way around the kitchen to find the most room. The table was in between them and she didn't want to suddenly move it out of the way and break it. Just because they 'played' was no reason to break more stuff than they did in the past. She learned THAT by trial and error. "This time you're going DOWN!" Rushing him, she threw some military punches and kicks at his body and head. Out of all he successfully dodged, one connected across his lower jaw. He stumbled backwards towards the counter and continued to dodge what she threw at him. His eyes spotted some of the silverware and he quickly grabbed a fork, aiming it for Hilde's head. He KNEW she'd dodge, but if not, the only thing it'd do is graze the side of her head.

Seeing the items quickly flying towards her, Hilde dropped instinctively to the ground. Landing on her hands, she used the momentum to turn on one leg, lashing out with the other. It connected with Duo's ankles, making him lose his balance. She pushed back up and watched him fall backwards toward the countertop. The back of his head connected with the porcelain and she grimaced slightly. 'He's going to HATE me for doing that later.' She thought, hoping they had aspirin in the bathroom cabinet. She backed up a step, watching Duo stagger to his feet, holding his head in pain. His face was hidden by the expanse of his bangs; both hands dug into the brown mass. She was about to ask if he was okay or bleeding when his head jerked up. The pain riveted from his eyes and she felt sadness enter her heart. She wished they'd never started as severely as they had, but there was no backing out now. When one pissed off the other, it was hard to calm them down with mere words.

Duo's jaw clenched, and a rumble sounded from his body as it exited from his throat...just before he rushed her. "You're going to PAY for that girlie." He threatened, his vision mildly red. Hilde saw the blur of his fists and kicks, trying to dodge as many as she could. A roundhouse connected with her stomach and she felt the air leave her lungs. She tried to stand erect and went to throw a punch to Duo's chest all while trying to breathe. He quickly turned to the side, grabbing her wrist and continuing her movement, but not moving his hands with her. Hilde felt the restraint and then the snap. She bit back a scream by biting her lip, hard. She backed up from Duo, struggling to stand up and not move her left shoulder as much as possible. "Okay babe, it's over. I won so why don't we get that shoulder popped back into place." He said, keeping his voice as even as possible. He knew they were just 'playing' and that it got out of hand the moment he'd felt the bones shift, possibly even when he dove over the table. His cooler head prevailed and he tried to placate the pain and fury he knew was building.

"No." She muttered through the haze. "You...won't win...THAT easily, Duo. TOLD you...you're going...DOWN. And I can...pop it back in...MYSELF." She eyed anything she could use for a weapon since her body was basically useless to her now. Seeing the broken bowls on the ground, she dropped to it and grabbed a few pieces with her good arm. Kneeling where the artillery was, she threw the multiple pieces at Duo, knowing he wouldn't be able to dodge ALL of them at such a close grouping. One managed to tear his shirt and give a cut to his arm; the other flew high and connected with his skull. Duo jerked back reflexively, feeling heat in his arm and above his eyebrow. She'd CUT him! Raising an unbelieving hand to his forehead, he touched the blood. He stared at it and then Hilde. Was she NUTS? This went FAR beyond anything they ever did before! Only now, this wasn't playtime. She tried to assume a fighting stance, but was only able to hold one arm up. She eyed him warily, waiting for his next move.

"Okay girlie, you want a fight? You got one. Shinigami is officially pissed off!" The blood on his fingers smashed against his palm in the fist that quickly sailed toward Hilde's head. She managed to dodge a few, but one hit her chest. One of his kicks collided with the side of her stomach, the rest just making holes in the hallway wall.

Hilde knew by pissing off Duo she was asking for it. Though they often sparred in the past, it was hard to tell when to stop and when Duo was faking hurt to gain him the upper hand. Rarely did he get pissed off at HER specifically. But now...his violet eyes were dark with anger and she backed up in partial fear. Duo claimed to be Shinigami because of his past. The way he fought screamed the name. And he normally fought best when he was angry, which told her she'd gone WAY over her personal safety this time. She noticed she backed up enough into the living room entrance and knew she wouldn't be able to dodge everything FOREVER. Her stamina was NOTHING compared to Duo's. She had to fight back. If this wasn't a game anymore and he was mad at her, a small shot of pain should clear his head enough for her to calm him down. She shot a hook kick out toward him, but he dodged it as if it was nothing. She painfully grasped some of her pant leg with her hurt arm to protect it, to try and keep movement minimal. It was clear she was going to be moving around a lot. She threw a few hits with her good arm, managing to connect a few times around his upper body.

Duo was tired of her trying to hit him, and dodging was becoming boring. If she was still too mad to see clearly, the only way for her to see reason and listen to him was to drop her. He decided to end it. He waited till she threw another kick and grabbed the roundhouse kick to his head. Gripping it, he balanced his weight and swept the planted foot out from under her.

When Hilde landed, her head connected with the floor and she saw stars. She tried to fight the pain waves and darkness that threatened. Duo stood directly overhead, and she saw determination and anger in his eyes. "Duo," She weakly said, "Duo stop." Words failed her too late as his whole body sifted downward to her. His palm whipped out in front and connected with her sternum. The breath lodged in her throat and all she saw, and knew, was pain. Unable to breath, every heartbeat was causing her more and more agony. Something was DEFINITELY wrong. Her glazed eyes stared up at Duo towering over her in a triumphant stance. 

"HA!" He gloated. "Too bad you didn't listen to me Hilde. Let that be a lesson to you, never mess with Shinigami. Now come on off the floor and let's get everything put back the way it was." He extended a hand to her, waiting for her to take it. Hopefully she wouldn't ignore him and sulk since she lost. But he could deal with it as long as she was now seeing to reason.

Hilde wondered if he knew just how BAD she was hurt. She kept her entire body completely still to try and lessen the pain. Her dislocated shoulder was bad enough, but she was betting on a few broken ribs as well. Trying to breath was torture so she held her breath, but her lungs were starting to protest the old oxygen being trapped. She listlessly stared at his extended hand. He didn't know, that's all she was aware of.

Duo's condescending smile dropped quickly when he saw Hilde's emotionless mask breaking with pain in her eyes and around the corners of her mouth. Her jaw clenched tightly, lips pressed tightly together. "Hilde?" He asked concerned. He quickly dropped to her side. "What's wrong? Come on babe, talk to me. I'm sorry bout this. You know we always tend to overdo these excursions. Come on, tell me what's wrong so I can help."

She barely heard a word he said over the blood rushing in her ears. Her lungs were fighting to constrict a yawn to exhale the built up carbon dioxide. Her heart quickened its pace in the meantime, causing even more pain to course through her upper body and the edges of her legs. Her fingers started to lose feeling in them and what she COULD feel was severely tingling. The corners around her eyes were as well, like the blood immediately left her face and then rushed back. What did Duo DO?? Her vision trained on Duo's gravely concerned face and the lights seemed to brighten, causing her eyes to hurt. His worry turned to fear and she tried to smile to comfort him some. She didn't want to see him this distressed over her and she tried to move despite the searing pain. She only managed to sit up slightly. "I'm...okay...Duo." The pressure in her chest eased a fraction, but it felt like heaven to her. She just barely got to her knees and fell when her legs gave out. Her vision blurred and the room spun at a wild pace. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she started falling backwards. Duo grabbed her good arm in a flash, grabbing onto a belt loop to steady her somewhat. Air rushed from her lungs and then immediately quit. She couldn't bear to breathe through the pain, so she had to take her chances and save what little was let. Her head bobbed backwards, rolled to the side, hair covering her face as she slumped forward toward Duo in a faint.

He felt her arm go slack and her weight shifted drastically. He didn't notice since his eyes were trained on hers, watching the pain till blue closed in exhaustion. "Hilde? HILDE?!" Shifting her weight, he laid her back down on the floor and raced toward the phone. After dialing 9-1-1, he frantically gave them the address and ran toward the door to yank it open. He paced near her, keeping an eye trained on the floor until help arrived, and ran toward Hilde with panic in their eyes. The paramedics carefully put her on a stretcher and immobilized her before nearly running to the front door. Duo ran right behind them, barely remembering to shut the door behind him before jumping into the ambulance. He took a corner in the back and balanced his head in his hands, cursing and berating himself for not letting up earlier. He KNEW he should have talked Hilde down from her anger harder immediately after dislocating her shoulder...but...he kept it up. In the past, it was an effective method of getting her to cool down. Now though, he went to far... He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at one of the free paramedics. The man asked what happened and Duo explained the dislocated left shoulder, a few kicks to her stomach, and a strike in between her chest...but they were only PLAYING. The E.M.T nodded and spotted Duo's injuries. After cleaning and bandaging them, he turned back to Hilde with the vital information in hand, trying to think up what was going on in her body.

Duo's head went back in his hands as he continued to silently curse himself. Feeling tears come to his eyes, he willed them to stay behind closed lids. His mind started to conjure up all kinds of 'what ifs', even though he knew it was useless to go back into the past because it was done and unchangeable. That didn't stop him though. He heard soft voices and curiously looked up at the others. One of them moved a fraction of an inch and Duo's mouth went dry. The blood roared in his ears at the sight of Hilde's exposed body. He spotted the scissors next to her and the haphazard cuts in her shirt and bra, now parted to reveal her shapely figure. She always hid her womanly attributes under baggy clothes and it was easy for him to dismiss having a female housemate. Not anymore! Duo's gaze transfixed on her breasts, but an inner voice told him to look away because it was disrespectful to her. The stare was cut short when one of the workers moved again, blocking his view. He blinked and shook his head quickly, as if coming from a trance. Leaning his head back, he kept his gaze trained on the ceiling of the vehicle, ignoring the pain in his head and the vision of Hilde's amazing body in his mind.

When the ambulance reached the hospital, Duo was stopped by a nurse who gave him some paperwork to fill out about Hilde's condition and any allergies she might have. He tried to get by it, even making a few attempts to bypass the nurse. He was quick from training, but she was quicker. She basically shoved the paperwork in his face without a care, but warned him that every bit of information on those forms was vital to help 'that girl'. When that torturous experience ended, all he could do was wait. That was probably going to grate on his already frayed nerves, but he forced himself to sit in one of the plastic chairs in the waiting room. Bringing his legs to sit Indian style, balancing elbows on his knees, a tired forehead rested on folded hands. He sat there for a while until his legs started to go numb and got out of the chair. He didn't want to leave his 'post' in case something miraculously came up, but if he didn't leave now, with the way he was FEELING, it wouldn't be pretty. He walked around till he spotted the cafeteria. Going in and getting some coffee for the long haul, seemed like a good idea, since he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Walking to a table, he set the coffee down and shakily plopped into a chair. Wrapping his hands around the cup for warmth, he stared at the steaming liquid, letting his mind wander. When did fate deal such a hand that he end up HERE? Could he actually think he could break the cycle of violence since he was called Shinigami, also a trained Gundam Pilot? Living with playful, funny Hilde SEEMED possible...if she didn't own a short fuse that rivaled HIS.

Stuck in his thoughts, his ears perked up to the natural sounds around him, soft music coming from somewhere. His eyes looked up, trying to identify the location. Across the room, he spotted a small, old-fashioned radio. His gaze speared the device, listening to the song across the way.

Lady please try to forgive me

Stay here, don't put out the glow

Hold me now don't bother

If every second makes me weaker

You can't save me from the man I've become

~*~

Lookin back on the things I've done

I was tryin to be someone

Played my part, kept you in dark

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

~*~

Sadness is beautiful

Loneliness is tragical

So help me, I can't win this war

Touch me now don't bother

If every second makes me weaker

You can't save me from the man I've become

~*~

Lookin back on the things I've done

I was tryin to be someone

Played my part, kept you in dark

Now let me show you the shape of my heart

~*~

I'm here, with my confession

Got nothin to hide no more

I don't know where to start but to show you the shape of my heart

When the last chorus wound down, Duo finally blinked. 'Damn.' He thought, slightly awed. He heard the announcer say something about extreme oldies and wasn't surprised. Long time ago, nothing but love songs were played on the radio. Nowadays, there WAS no music. It was still a nice song though. 'Yes...it IS nice.... REMIND you of something?' An inner voice spoke up.

'No.' He immediately threw back. He envisioned the more emotional side of his persona rolling its eyes.

'Yea right, then why do you like it? It reminds you of a certain someone. The whole reason you're here.'

'I'm here because Hilde is hurt, and nothing more. So just keep out of it why don't you.'

'And why SHOULD I? That song makes a valid point, even if you don't want to ADMIT it! You never WERE very good at hiding your emotions. Even if they're the wrong KIND, you still show them.'

'Leave me alone...'

'Can't do that boy. Ya know...I DO like that song though... The melody is so beautiful and the voices flow together so well-'

'SHUT UP!' He felt like squeezing his head in irritation and agitation. 'I get it now okay!? Is THAT what you want me to realize? That I like Hilde and the song reminds me of it??'

'AH HA! So you DO admit you like her. I thought all this time living with her wasn't doing one bit of good to SWAY you!'

Duo stared at the coffee and took a large drink, burning his throat slightly. 'Did I SAY that? NO; YOU SUGGESTED it! Put the words in my head! Hilde is only a friend who was kind enough to take me in and put up with me all this time.'

'Did she HAVE to though?' Duo closed his eyes; knowing the answer to that. Hilde didn't put up with ANYONE she didn't like, and sometimes went out of her way to let people know they were pissing her off. 'YOU were the one that rocked her world, not the other way around.'

'She knew the risks of housing a Gundam Pilot.'

'Kind of like she did tonight, ne?'

The inner voice kept taunting him, carelessly ripping his emotions up. He was getting tired of it...and having a conversation with himself. It was DEFINITELY getting strange... His jaw clenched and he screwed his lids shut, quelling the fire in his eyes. 'Go away and leave me alone.' He nearly pleaded. Having his rational side pop its head up in a rare moment was NOT what he needed right now! It always DID come up at the most inopportune time, and he was forced to listen to it, because it was usually RIGHT.

'I can't, I'm you. You just have to deal and accept, unlike what you've been doing since she let you stay around. You've lived in denial for WAY too long you moron! Just fess up and say it. Come on...just try and say it. Say, 'I like Hilde.' It's not so hard you wussy.' Duo's attention thankfully swayed from the argument against the rational and the emotional sides of his mind by another oldies song. The phrase that played drilled into his preoccupied self.

** When you love a woman you tell her that she's really wanted**

** When you love a woman you tell her that she's the one**

** Cause she needs somebody to tell her that it's gonna last forever**

** So tell me have you ever really, really, really ever loved a woman?**

~*~

** To really love a woman**

** Let her hold ya till you know how she needs to be touched**

** You gotta breathe her, really taste her**

** Till you can feel her in your blood**

** And when you can see your unborn children in her eyes**

** You know you really love a woman**

~*~

** When you love a woman you tell her that she's really wanted**

** When you love a woman you tell her that she's the one**

** Cause she needs somebody to tell her that you'll always be together**

** So tell me have you ever really, really, really ever loved a woman?**

~*~

** You got to give her some faith, hold her tight**

** A little tenderness, you gotta treat her right**

** She will be there for you taking good care of you**

** You really gotta love a woman**

'Gee, ever hear how a song can fit someone's situation SO perfectly...' The emotional side taunted.

Duo could almost FEEL that part of him gloating, grinning that smile that made his anger rise in frustration. 'I. DON'T. Like. Hilde.' He weakly defended. Being in such an emotional state already, feelings and emotions were coming to the surface, some that he recognized and paired with her face, her eyes, that smile... 'It's not like she likes me ANYWAY. I'm pretty sure she sees me as a mere annoyance for not letting her help in the yard and having to take care of me...' He gave a small sigh and finished the rest of his forgotten drink in a rush to keep occupied on anything but the object at hand. 'I just don't want her to get to close in case I don't come back from the war.' There, he said it. It was a fear that gripped him when they hung out and watched tv in a cozy way, or when he'd allow her a rare amount of time to work in the back with him. He didn't want to get to close; he really DIDN'T. People always left at one point or another, or he did to them. It was inevitable...

Sensations enveloped him and he started feeling down. What if he DIDN'T come back from the war? Every time Deathsycthe was called to battle, he always came back to Hilde. Every time he did, he pictured her happy face as he misteviously knocked on the door instead of using his key. The joy on in her eyes and smile was too bright to describe. Realization dawned and his eyes widened a fraction. It was in her eyes...that emotion he saw. They always lit up whenever he was around, paired with an original smile. She didn't smile a lot due to the war's agony, but she once mentioned to him, when he joking questioned if she was going to be sad forever, that she'd smile for him if it made him feel better.

'Get it now?' Part of him teased. 'Took you a while. You ALWAYS look over every detail when it doesn't involve your Gundam.' Fisting the Styrofoam, he got up and tossed it in the garbage bin before leaving the cafeteria. The feelings weighed on his heart. Worry and confusion coursed through his veins, along with a small stab of guilt. He hoped Hilde was going to live; he didn't mean to hurt her as bad as he had. Guilt took up residence in his being over everything else and his feet took him to the nurse's station to see if there was ANY word on Hilde's condition. Now that his thick head got a few ideas into his head, his worry for Hilde's well-being held a different level to it. 


	2. Chapter 2

Same night

Her eyes popped open as if one surprised, and the first thing she was aware of was the familiar setting. Looking around, but not moving, she saw everything was the same when she left it. Experimentally taking a small breath, she was surprised when she felt no pain. Moving her arm, surprise kicked into shock. Everything moved normally. Feeling bold, she sat up completely, then stood. 'Okay, so nothing seems to be broken and all the pain I felt earlier is gone. What's wrong with THIS picture?' She sarcastically thought. Was the whole night a dream? She sometimes dreamt of Duo and/or herself, but there were MORE bizarre instances than THIS. Everything SEEMED real enough...she didn't know WHAT to think.

Looking around the living room, she saw the lights were still on. Now this HAD to be a dream; Duo knew better than to leave a room before turning the lights off! He knew how much she HATED that! But he did it so often that maybe this WAS real. Surely she didn't have THAT vivid of dreams... "Duo?" She called out. She waited, expecting him to come from the kitchen with a sheepish look on his face, waiting to apologize. Eyebrows furrowed into a curious look when no answer came. "Hey DUO!" She shouted, waiting for a funny retort. Her lips pursed when he didn't answer again and figured she'd have to go looking for him. Leaving the living room, she walked into the kitchen and found him sitting at the table, cradling something in his hands. She raised an eyebrow at how intensely he was staring at it. It was odd because she rarely saw Duo in such a state. When he went to drink from the glass, she noticed something.

'When the hell did we ever have Styrofoam?' She wondered curiously. How he had it was a complete mystery. He sat all slouched over and she decided to rub in her victory.

"Hey Duo, I won. Nye, nye." She grinned and crossed her arms. Her chin rose as she waited for him to start whining like he always did. Or sulk. The grin faded when she didn't see any movement from him and a brow rose. "Hey Duo...hey IDIOT." Not even a single glance. She was starting to get frustrated. "HELLO! EARTH TO DUO!" Stomping over to him, she raised a hand to slap his back, thinking THAT would get his attention, but it went right THROUGH him. Not expecting the continuation of movement, she was off-balanced and nearly fell to the floor. When she stood up again, both hands touched together in puzzlement. "What the hell?" She wondered. She looked down at Duo and saw he hadn't moved an inch, as if he didn't even NOTICE or HEAR her. Her eyes narrowed. That was low...totally ignoring her simply because she WON once. She moved so she could see his face and saw all KINDS of sad emotions plaguing him. Guilt was most apparent in his clouded eyes.

She felt slightly bad now and dropped her head, feeling a small measure of guilt. "Hey now Duo, I'm alright. See?" Stepping back, she threw both hands from her sides, waiting for him to turn over and give her a relieved smile. He still didn't look at her. Sighing, her eyes tossed heavenward, asking for patience, before she moved to pull up a chair. "Duo, you're such a worrywart. I'm-" She stopped when her hand ALSO went right through the chair. Her eyes drastically widened and the hand stopped a few inches from her face. She could see and feel herself start to shake from fear from the obvious. She could see almost completely THROUGH her HAND! Panic rose in her chest. "What the hell is GOING ON!?" She cried out, the fright rising through her words. She frantically turned to Duo and tried to touch him, but her hands still went through him. "DUO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" She yelled close to his ear, but he still acted like she wasn't in the room. He didn't even FLINCH. She stepped back and tried to control haywire breathing.

'This is NOT happening, I'm still blacked out and DREAMING.' She wildly thought, on the near verge of praying. Hands covered her ears, trying to block out all the terror she was feeling. 'WHAT'S HAPPENING!?' Her mind screamed. Her eyes jerked up in surprise and landed on Duo's frame when he moved. Stunned, she ran close to him.

"Duo where are you GOING? TALK to me! What's GOING ON?!" He slowly walked in a straight line, straight for the wall in a near daze. "Duo, watch OUT!" She called. The moron was going to walk right INTO the WALL! He nearly did so, but turned and then headed down the hallway to the living room at the near last second. Stunned about what was taking place, she stood there and watched him round the corner. When he was out of sight, her senses snapped into attention. "HEY! Come BACK here!" Taking off full speed, she rounded the corner after him. Closing the gap with a few steps, the lights were still on in the living room as she turned from the hallway. "WHAT THE...?!" She seemed to be saying that a lot, but this time she had good REASON to. Her eyes quickly squeezed shut and palms almost painfully pressed against her head. "I've GOT to be DREAMING, I HAVE to be dreaming! This is IMPOSSIBLE!" She quickly muttered, as if repeatedly saying it would change what her eyes just saw. "How else can I not touch ANYTHING and end up in an OPERATING ROOM where my LIVING ROOM used to be?" Looking up, she heard a few mutterings and beeping from the machines scattered around the center of the room. If this was a dream, it was a damn ODD one! Curiosity getting the better of her, she slowly took a step forward, wondering just WHAT this was all ABOUT. When no one seemed to notice OR hear her either, she decided to use it to her advantage. Her eyes transfixed on the center of the room and all the doctors crowding around. Whatever was going on, that was the place to get answers from.

Catching a patch of familiar hair, she crept closer and tried to crane her head around the doctors. Seeing that same hair color from a split second gap, she tried not to panic, even though her mind was in the process of. 'I mean, it SEEMS like the most logical thing isn't it?' The ironic side of her spat out. 'Here I am, probably DEAD or in the twilight zone!' Stopping about two steps from the table, a thoughtful finger touched her chin. 'Okay, rational side of me says that I'm still conked out and ignoring Duo's screeching.' Her eye caught movement of the doctors' arms and she went back to thinking. 'But the other half says I'm dead. But since I have a strange feeling about the topic on the table, I have to still be ALIVE somehow.' 

Turning her attention back to the table, she saw a gap in between two doctors and moved near that. More of the figure was visible there and her head moved in between the arms of two doctors. Her shoulders went through part of their bodies, but she didn't bother with that oddity as much as the sight in front of her. Her face was completely void of color; mouth covered by an oxygen mask; tubes covering her nasal passageways. Both eyes were closed in half pain, half peace, as if she didn't feel anything. From the top of her shoulders to her waist, she was exposed to strangers she didn't even know. Their complete inner and outer knowledge of the human body didn't matter at the moment. Quid pro quo, she was naked to people she never MET before. Right in the center of her chest was a gap. Two metal prongs held her skin open as a doctor worked on her rib cage.

She was unable to tear wide, horrified eyes away from the horrific scene. She physically TRIED to look away, but some kind of force was drawing her near her body. 'This is not happening...' She vaguely thought. 'I CAN'T be dead. Am I a...have I left my body?' The pull toward her 'spirit' seemed to strengthen and she tried to pull away. 'I can't be a ghost! What is going to happen to me! What happened when I blacked out? What happened to DUO? Where IS HE?' The last image of Duo sitting at the table in their kitchen floated through her mind, breaking the pressure on her body. As if a taunt cord was suddenly cut, muscles jerked her body a few foot from the scene and she involuntarily gagged from the horror of it all. Her knees gave out and she staggered to the floor, defeated at this twisted turn of events.

"This has been some night." She dully muttered. A humorless smile made a split second appearance, then replaced by a frown. "I need answers." She looked up from the floor to her body on the operating table. "That's obviously ME, but where is DUO? How does HE fit into all of this? I don't know if I'm dreaming, and am passed out up there. Or maybe I AM a ghost. If I am, then how did I end up HERE?" Determination deep within her veins rose to seek answers. "I have to find Duo, he'll have the rest of the pieces to this puzzle."

'I hope he's okay.' Her protective side thought. Taking a deep breath for courage, she exhaled quickly and stood. Her knees were still shaky, but hardening her resolve to be strong helped. She turned toward the swinging doors, leaving the doctors to their work. 'That was where I made my entrance...' She walked to them, but stopped suddenly when a thought sprang up. 'What if I don't end up on the other side? What if I end up in the living room again? How would I get BACK here?' The unknown of this situation came with rules she didn't even know existed. If she made a wrong move somewhere, it was liable to have bad consequences. A hand tentatively rose toward the shiny metal and stopped. Duo's face rose in her mind again and her eyes narrowed. 'I HAVE to TRY.' Damned be the consequences when it came to Duo...and her LIFE. Biting her lip, she took a giant step back and flung herself at the doors. She noticed they didn't swing or even MOVE as she thankfully ended up on the other side. Exhaling a shaky pent-up breath, she smiled in momentary thanks and went down the corridor.

She knew this hospital; it was maybe a mile or so from where the yard was. Though she was never in this section before, she didn't have any problem finding the waiting rooms. Following the signs led her to where she needed to be, but finding Duo was the problem. Which room would he be IN? Would he even be IN a waiting room? Walking into another one, her head shook when she didn't see Duo. 'Where IS he?' She wondered. She left that one and walked the halls to another close by. Good thing they were all grouped close together. She knew he'd be near the operating room, and near the nurse's station for updates. 'Found him.' A small triumphant smile appeared as she made a beeline straight for him. She stopped short of him, seeing he didn't move an inch. She observed him and wondered if he fell asleep like that. Since he wasn't moving except for small breaths, it was a possibility. She wryly smiled. Cross-legged in a small, hard plastic chair; elbows digging into his knees; tightly clasped hands accompanying nearly white knuckles were the only thing keeping him upright. His fists rested against his forehead, almost like...like he was PRAYING. That took Hilde aback a bit. She never actually SAW Duo pray, even though he wore a priest's garments. She didn't know if he held a RELIGIOUS bias. Kneeling to look at his face caught a slight movement from his lips. She leaned forward some to hear, and was stunned by what she heard.

"...please God. Please don't take Hilde away from me. You've taken so much already. Can't you leave her here with me? I know that doesn't mean much, but I can't stand to lose Hilde. She means so much to me, please don't take her away. Please let her come out of surgery alive, please. I'm so sorry Hilde; I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry..." He continued on again, asking the same thing over and over in a relentless plead. He WASN'T asleep, he was praying to whatever God he thought he believed in. It brought tears to Hilde's eyes. Leaning back on her heels allowed a better look at him through watery eyes. This was the first time she ever saw him like this, and it was hard to believe. Her head momentarily bowed before looking at him with a gentle smile.

'Is that...' She spotted a catch of light on his face and her eyes widened. 'Is he...CRYING?' She studied his face and saw the remnants of a tear track being used as another one fell down. 'But Duo NEVER cries! I've NEVER seen him cry.' She was astounded.

_"But you're only HUMAN Duo!" She pleaded, trying to get him to release some of his anger and pain. Every time he came back to her from another battle, he was always serious to the worse degree._

_"Shinigami doesn't cry Hilde." He critically said. "There's no POINT."_

_Her head sadly shook at his resolve to not let anything out. Who did he think he was FOOLING? He wore his pain on the sleeve of his shirt._

The sentence rang through her mind as she saw the tear gather and fall from the weight. 'Oh Duo.' She sadly thought. 'I wish there was something I could do to help you.' But she knew there was not a damned thing; she couldn't even TOUCH him. 'I know there's nothing I CAN do, but I wish you could HEAR me.' If only she could SPEAK and reassure him she was OKAY. If not physically, then 'spiritually' she was still with him. Moving her hand a little, she put it just above his calf, being careful not to move through him; that part was still too weird to deal with yet. Leaning forward, she looked into his closed eyes.

"It's not your fault Duo." She whispered, wishing she could make him understand. Violet suddenly popped open and his head jerked up in alarm. Hope sprang up and she smiled, thinking he actually heard something she said. "Duo...Duo, can you hear me??" She quickly asked. He looked around the room, even though they were the only ones there. Confusion apparent in his eyes, it showed through the depths of his sorrow. He heard, but still couldn't see her. Then it was over and he went back to his silent prayer, looking even more crushed than before. The hope in Hilde's chest was squashed instantly. Her mouth tightly pressed together to halt a despairing cry.

'Damn. I was so close.' She sadly thought. She looked down and her mind blanked on what to do next. Where did she go from here? What did she DO, NOW?? Was she stuck like this forever; never to be heard or seen by anyone? Her ears perked up from the sound of a small beeping somewhere nearby. She heard a quick, uneasy scuffle of chairs and looked to see the nurses swiftly cross the room and leave the way Hilde entered. Her brows lowered in interest, wondering where they went in such a hurry. The beeping continued and Duo looked up as well. She found his eyes riveted on the nurse's station a short ways down the hall.

"Stay here Duo, I'm going to go look." She stated, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. He seemed to obey though, his body frozen where he sat.

She reached the cubicle and walked into the open area, devoid of any staff. It was liable that even if someone WERE around, they wouldn't see her. She quickly looked around to find the noise. She caught sight of a blinking red light and walked toward it. 'Hmm, room 3109?' She read silently. 'Code red...cardiac arrest.' Her eyes narrowed curiously as she looked to Duo down the hall.

"HNG!" Hands quickly clutched her chest at the burst of intense pain as the cry wrenched from gritted teeth. She felt a slight twinge and then as if her body was being lifted off the ground. She tried to fight the feeling of fear that built rapidly.

'WHAT'S GOING ON??' Her mind shouted in alarm. In a heartbeat, it all clicked. She felt the slight pain again, but it stopped as quickly as it came. 'They ran out of where I CAME from.' She ran from the cubicle and stood in the middle of the room, her mind working at a seriously frightening pace. 'I'm a ghost as far as I can tell. I'm in surgery for some wound that Duo inflicted upon me in the heat of the moment.' Her eyes strayed to Duo's haggard face and she felt sorry for him. 'He didn't know though... I thought he was gone, but he most likely felt the same way. It's not his fault.' She added, starting to pace. 'I saw my physical body on the operating table, opened.' She shuddered as a strong shiver ran up her spin. 'Not an experience I want to live through again.' Her head shook. 'If the nurses rushed through where I came from, then that means that the cardiac arrest signal was for...ME!' Already wide eyes widened some more. She felt the upward pull on her body and wondered if it was heaven or hell calling her. She felt all the horrific emotions leave her as nothing but warmth flowed in her heart. She looked up toward the ceiling, feeling sorrowful. 'I can't go.' She dejectedly knew. She looked over at Duo and took a few steps toward him. 'I can't leave him like this, I have to come back.' She couldn't leave him in this state, or any state other than happy. He already lost so much in his life, she didn't need to be added to it. She walked toward the path of the nurses, then faced Duo.

"Don't worry Duo, I'm not leaving you. I'll come back to you! I'll wipe that sorrowful look off your face!" She yelled, taking off in a dead run for her E.R.

She ran right through the swinging doors without thinking and entered the room. It was in chaos, the doctors no longer calm and collected. The nurses from the station were there, helping as best they could to save a dying patient. She assumed the trauma and injuries were just too much. She purposely walked behind the doctors and stopped. 'How do I DO this?' This never happened to her before; she had no clue how to go about reuniting spirit and body. Poking her head in between the doctors again, she saw the ashen state of her face, whiter than it was before. Not a good sign. 'I've been away too long.' She suddenly realized. 'Tell me how to do this. I have to get back to Duo.' She prayed. The chaos went on around her as she felt the jolt of the paddles shocking her again. Just as her body jerked upward with the removal of the electricity, the same pain entered her chest. She reached forward and gripped the edges of the cold metal in agony, stunned when she didn't go through it. All thoughts flew from her head and she jumped up on the table without asking any more questions. This was a sign and she was sure as hell going to TAKE it. She was careful to lie down in the exact position her body was in, connecting two halves together. Laying her spiritual head toward the physical one, she felt pain everywhere and was happy for once that she felt it. Her eyes slowly closed and the monitor bleeped just before she blacked out.

~*~*~

Tears fell even faster than before. He didn't know why the nurses ran from the room like they did, but it couldn't have been good. He had a horrible feeling it had to do with Hilde. How could it NOT? Her operating room was just down the way and it was past midnight. The place was basically empty. His pleads to God continued moments after the chaos in the room returned to 'normal'. He continued begging with as much conviction as he could muster, if not more. "Please God, save her. Spare Hilde. I don't want to leave her. I can't. I need her too much. She doesn't even know yet. I have to tell her how much she means to me. I have to make it up to her God. I need to tell her how sorry am. I never meant to put her in here. You can see that, can't you? Please let me know she's going to be-"

"Duo Maxwell?" His head jerked up from his fists as he looked toward the voice. It felt like heaven to have someone of authority say his full name. Jumping off the chair, his entire body protested since he hadn't moved since walking back from the cafeteria so long ago. His muscles gave out for a second and he bent toward the ground before regaining his balance. He quickly strode to the doctor and met him in the middle of the room. His hand stuck out, eager to meet the man who hopefully saved Hilde's life.

"How is she doc? She's ALIVE, right? She'll pull through?" He rambled, hope in his eyes. There was so much that to hear a no or maybe would crush him.

The doctor nodded, feeling the grip on the young man and the distraught appearance he gave. He decided to keep quiet about the question WHY his patient was so badly injured. "Well you got her here quickly enough, but there were still some problems. Her left shoulder was dislocated, but we were able to pop that into place before we hit the heavy stuff. Luckily she blacked out from the pain so we didn't need to give her too much anesthesia. The real problem was her sternum. The Xiphoid process at the bottom was cracked and bent downward toward her heart and diaphragm. It would have eventually connected with the rest of her sternum to make it longer, but right now it was more a burden than anything. I had to remove it, but it's okay since it's not much of use to her. She fractured two ribs near the Xiphoid and bruised a few more near the middle of her sternum. We had to bandage the back of her head from some trauma there. I'm betting on a concussion, but we won't know that till she wakes up. I'm just glad she didn't need stitches. Her chest however got a few dozen, which I want to keep a close eye on. There was some trauma to her abdominal region." The doctor's eyes rose momentarily when he noticed his audience fidgeting. "Her body will repair itself with time, so I'm not TOO worried about that. If she can't keep food down in the near future, then I'll start to worry. Right now we have her under anesthesia to keep her knocked out. I don't want her waking up and putting any undue stress on her chest cavity by doing any heavy breathing or getting worked up by the extent of her injuries. She's already gone into cardiac arrest earlier. I still don't know how we saved her. We worked over two minutes and then boom, the monitor beeped." A hand rubbed his chin, vowing to give it some thought as to WHY. "But that's the details, gory as they may be, that's all of them. We fixed her up as best we could and now the rest is up to her."

Duo tried to keep tears of shame and happiness from his eyes as he repeatedly thanked the man. Hilde was in bad shape...but she was ALIVE! That's all that mattered to him. He didn't know if God heard him or not, but he wasn't going to question it. "Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded. Something in the boy's eyes told him even IF he were to wait until visiting hours, the youth would still try to sneak in anyway. He seemed like the type to be afraid of nothing and everything at the same time. "Follow me." A hand waved to the hallway and walked to the floor she was on. Stopping in front of the trauma ward, he opened Hilde's door and let Duo inside. Shutting it, he said a silent prayer that his patient healed. The young man looked ready to break down through his slipping exterior. Walking away, he left the two alone and went on with his work.

The darkness caught Duo off-guard until his eyes adjusted. The only light was the moon shining through the closed curtains in her room. She was illuminated by the green glow of the machines she was hooked up to. Heart monitor, breathing apparatus, iv...he named them all off in his head as he stood there staring, just taking it all in. Along with that, her left arm was in a type of sling so she wouldn't move it when she woke up. Electrodes on her forehead, neck, and around her collarbone monitored her brain waves for change. A backup iv bag sat near her bed, waiting to be used. The slow, methodical rise and fall of her chest was thanks to the tubes down her throat and up her nose. Near her feet, Duo saw a type of catheter bag. 'For when you plan on being here a while.' He thought bitterly. The bandages the doc mentioned made her look like some type of war hero the way they wrapped around her head. 'In a way, she IS.'

He wanted to be near her, even though he dreaded to be, and slowly inched his way toward the bed. He made sure not to touch anything, afraid to get too close in fear that he'd hurt her even more. The closer he got, the more detail he could see about her condition. The sheet covered her up to the edge of her bandages, nearly covering her entire chest. Blood spotted the top of them near the center of her wound. He could see the uneven outline of her jeans in the folds. His mind flashed back to the time in the ambulance, when the E.M.T cut the shirt off to get to her wound. Breaking his stare, he walked to a nearby chair and deposited himself extremely nearby to her bed. He absently stared at his hands and listened to the machines quietly do their job, not knowing what to do or say. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at her face. He stared at her pale color and let a few tears fall from the pain creased in her face. He wanted to wrap his hand around hers, but didn't want to move her iv, so he rested it over her forearm instead. Feeling exhausted, his head rested near her hand and closed his eyes.

~*~*~

'It hurts.' It was the first weak, coherent thought in her mind. Painfully opening her eyes to a slight light coming through the windows, dawn filtered in her mind and her eyes stiffly closed. Slowly becoming aware of last night, she realized she wasn't breathing on her own. The instinctual flight-or-fight rose in her body to struggle with the lung machine, but she was too drugged up to and too tired put up much of a fight. Her hearing picked up something besides the beeping from her machines and she looked around for the soft snoring. Only her eyes moved; it hurt too much to move anything else.

A pressure on her arm drew her attention. Seeing the mop of brown hair, she smiled as much as possible through the tube in her mouth at his adorable appearance. Her arm slowly moved with as much strength as she could muster, hoping she didn't wake him. Reaching up, she dropped the hand on top of his head and felt the softness of his hair, letting the familiarity comfort her. Pleasant feelings flowed and for a brief second, she forgot about the pain. The strength in her arm quickly ebbed and she slowly dropped the hand off his hair, caressing it as she went. Feeling for his fingers, she wrapped them around hers and encompassed his hand. The soft movement of her thumb across his skin brought peace to her tortured body. She wished she could tell Duo everything would be okay, but she wouldn't because she couldn't breathe on her own. The pain from the iv in her hand, combined with lack of strength, and the drugs that coursed through the iv, zapped her remaining strength. Sleep pulled at her conscious and she fell victim to it again.

~*~*~

The light hit his eyes first, and his ears perked up at the silent scuffling sounds of someone else in the room. Protective instincts toward Hilde quickly flared, and his vision shot up, but he calmed upon seeing only one of the nurses from the station last night. She saw him move and smiled. "Good morning son." He nodded, but didn't think it was a very GOOD morning. Moving his hand to stretch, he noticed a small restraint and looked down. Hilde's fingers were entwined with his own. His mind wondered how that happened because he distinctly remembered he didn't want to touch her hand, or ANY of her, out of fear of hurting her.

"Has there been any change?" He looked up.

The nurse looked thoughtful for a second, then nodded. "Someone noticed a change in her blood pressure about six this morning." Duo looked at clock on the wall reading nearly noon. His gaze traveled to Hilde's face and he watched over her sleeping form until the doctor came in hours later. He was glad the doc didn't ask questions about how and why; only doing his job. He was thankful, mostly because he didn't think he would be ABLE to rehash everything. It was hard enough to see Hilde in this bed, let alone put to words what he did to her. Though not on purpose, NEVER on purpose, he couldn't bear to deal with it right now. Seeing her here, lying so helpless, was a far cry from the fiery girl he used to know was a cold shock to his developed mental image of what he knew. He left the room while the elderly man performed a diagnostic's test and returned when one of the nurses took the tube out of her mouth. His eyes widened at the length of it, guessing it must've been half a foot long. "She's a fast healer this one." The nurse mused, smiling. "Her vitals are up enough. I'll be able to take this out, but the tubes in her nose will have to stay for probably a few more days."

When all the commotion died down in the room, he took his place at her side, resolving to move only when necessary. The sun started setting and he watched the colors flitter across her face, stroking her arm softly. With all his might, he tried to predict when she would wake up so he could apologize and tell her he cared for her. Everything he felt since she was brought in was a turbulence. There was so much to sort out and FIGURE out, but he couldn't right now. As long as he was by her side, it was enough to deal with. The emotions he felt when being near her swallowed him and he longed to tell her. But all he did was watch the sun set in the room.

~*~*~

'That tickles.' She thought. Cracking an eye to a slit, she looked at Duo through her lashes. She didn't think he could see her because she figured it looked like she was still asleep. She smiled slightly at his protective stare and noticed immediately her lips were closed and the tube was gone. Relief passed, even though the distinct irritation of not being able to breathe through her nose and the desperate want to take the tubes OUT hit her.

"Hilde?" The softness in his voice and the question buzzed her ears. "Are you awake?" She noted the light was almost gone, that it must be dark now. Had she really slept the entire DAY away? Rarely did she do such a thing. It almost felt like a luxury and she felt the sudden urge to get out of bed and move. But she couldn't speak too much because it hurt to even BREATHE normally, so her eyes opened a bit more. The first thing she saw was the hope in his eyes, turned happiness. "You ARE! You're AWAKE!" Light blue painfully closed at his voice level. Was this what a hangover felt like? If she had the ability to, she would've laughed. "Listen Hilde, I wanted to apologize for putting you here." He said, thankfully lowering his voice. "I didn't mean to...it was an accident. I was careless...I should've kept a cool head and THOUGHT for once in my life. But I DIDN'T and now you're HERE and LOOK at you, you can't even BREATHE on your own and-" Hilde held her free hand to his face to silence his ramblings. The sadness and blame in his voice was eating at her.

"Duo...stop." She whispered. She gathered all her energy to say what she needed to say to make him feel better. Seeing Duo like this, so openly pained and punishing himself when NO ONE was at fault, was getting to be too much. She wouldn't be able to talk at a normal tone through the pressure from the bandages, the pain in her chest, or the tubes in her nose, but she was going to try and tell him ANYWAY. Things NEEDED to be said. "It's not entirely...your fault. I shouldn't have...egged you...on. I didn't...stop when...I...should've. Don't YOU go and...blame yourself for-"

Duo's hand shoot in front of her face as he stopped her raspy, broken apology. "I don't want to hear it from you because it is NOT your fault! It's MINE because I was the one that did this to you and now I have to DEAL with this. I got carried away and now you're here, hooked up to nearly every machine in the damned hospital!" Hilde smiled slightly at his exaggeration. He stood up and took a step away from her, flinging his arms around. "I mean, LOOK at where you are! This shouldn't have happened to you! If anything it should've happened to ME! But once again I dive into the deep end without even seeing there's WATER in the POOL! It's MY fault, it's ALL MY FAULT!" He paced across the room, hardly tearing his eyes away from her. The truth was spearing from his lips and there wasn't much he was going to do to spare his ears from hearing it. He DESERVED to hear it.

She saw the guilt in his eyes and knew he was at war with so many feelings. She didn't want him to be so distressed over her because she KNEW she'd pull through, it would just TAKE a while. "Duo..." She whispered. He stopped and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "...Come here." He complied and sat down closer to her. She was surprised to see tears of anger in his eyes, but knew he was directing that anger at himself. It touched her that he cared about her by the obvious emotions he showed, but also worried her because she didn't want to see him beat himself up this much. This happened and she would be there a while, but she wasn't angry with him or herself. All she could do was forget and move on. Her palm raised to let him take it, but he just looked down and shook his head.

"I don't want to touch you...I'll hurt you again. I can't bear to SEE you like this Hilde. I don't want to see you this defenseless; I've never seen you anything BUT strong. ...It just hurts inside."

Tears shone in her eyes, and some fell from Duo's. Reaching for his face, she touched his cheek and wiped away a tear. "...Listen to me...and listen good...Duo." His gaze went to hers and she nearly cried at the raw emotion in his beautiful eyes. She NEVER thought he'd be so emotional over her, but here he was...CRYING. It made her heart break, and at the same time, she was flattered beyond words. "I want you...to STOP...DOING this...to yourself. We ALL...make mistakes...in our lives. YOU...made a mistake. So did...I. I didn't stop...when I should have." She felt herself losing strength and had to fight to get the words out. This NEEDED to be SAID. "I hate...to see you...this SAD. I don't...WANT you...to beat yourself up...over this." Her eyes closed and a slight wave of dizziness seeped through from having to take constant shallow breaths. She couldn't take a deep breath because of the pain, even THROUGH the drugs she was given. Her eyes worked to pull themselves open and saw the concern in Duo's eyes, but she wasn't finished. "It...HURTS me...Duo...to see you...DO this...to yourself. You're...STRONGER...than this...I...KNOW...you are. Don't prove...me wrong." Her eyes closed from fatigue and she sunk into the bed as sleep started to welcome her. But she didn't want to leave him just to fall asleep, he was in too fragile a state of mind still. She felt a tentative touch over her fingers and used willpower to force her eyes open. He was looking at her hand as his hovered over hers, thoughtful eyes trying to reach a decision over something. "Duo?"

He looked up and carefully took her hand in his, being utterly careful about her iv. Slowly, he brought her knuckles to his mouth and touch them with an extremely soft kiss. "Don't talk Hilde...save your strength." He emotionally whispered. He was reeling from her speech. 

She stared into his eyes, her own laced with sleep through drooped lids. Her head gave a minute nod against the pillow, though she wanted to say one more thing. "Duo...I want you...to take...CARE...of yourself. And don't...JUDGE yourself...too harshly...about...this." She reached up and rubbed his cheek with the tips of her fingers. She stared into his eyes, nearly half an arm's length away; the heat in his eyes traveling to hers. They seemed frozen like that, both having a growing urge to reach out and kiss the other. She wanted to as a topper to the moment they created. The emotions in his eyes and what he felt acted as a catalyst. But doubts rose in their minds about each other's feelings, so the action went into the recesses of their minds. Her eyes closed, reopened them briefly, then closed them again.

He stared at the peaceful look on her face; aware of the raging emotional battle he was fighting inside. She told him to take care...it pained her to see him beat himself up for something he KNEW he did wrong... All the things she'd brokenly got out to him flew across his mind and he wondered about her feelings for him, about HIS feelings for HER. 'I could TELL her; she's asleep... I think.' He watched her soft breathing, the slight frown on her face...and wondered. SHOULD he speak his mind? He stayed statue-like, never moving, his eyes on her face. The night crept up and it felt like hours passed, but he guessed only minutes in real life. Still, he never moved as his mind warred its decision. After a while, he figured she would be asleep since her eyes remained closed and he felt no qualms about telling her now. Enough time had to've passed...maybe her subconscious would hear him.

"I don't think you'll ever know HOW sorry I am." He whispered into the night. "Every time I close my eyes...I see you in pain and it hurts inside. I don't want ANYTHING to happen to you Hilde. You mean too much to me to be anything but HAPPY. That's all I've seen you be, if you're not irked at me for something I kid you about. So forgive me if I'm being a little hard on myself." He looked down and sighed, some of the sarcasm and self-anger deflating. "I can't say it enough how sorry I am." He snorted softly. "I almost sound like a broken record the way I talk. But I can't HELP it. I wish there was SOMETHING I could do to help you. All I can do is wait and stay by your side till you're well. And I'm NOT leaving you. I WILL stay here if you need me and not even God himself could tear me away. No mission is as important as you are." He stopped, looking at her face to make sure she was still asleep. He blushed. He was a coward to tell her this now and not when she was awake. Did he think she wouldn't handle it, or turn him away? Still, it was a step in the right direction. At least he was telling her PERIOD. "Do you know I would do ANYTHING to trade places with you? It HURTS me to see you this way. I don't want to beat myself up over this, but HOW can I NOT? It's my FAULT you're here, Hilde." He stopped when his voice threatened to break, tears pooling in his eyes. "I just care about you so MUCH, it's agony to see you hurting." Tears fell as he stared at her face, helpless to do anything but look. He was still afraid to touch her for fear of what his deadly hands could do. "I want to make it up to you. I want you to see that I'm not the bloodthirsty Shinigami I seem to be. True I AM...but I'm MORE than that. I'm also Duo...just Duo..." He wiped a tear away and saw a lift at the corner of her mouth. Could it be?

He looked down, embarrassed that he told her what plagued his soul and she was still awake to hear it. 'But is that necessarily a BAD thing?' He questioned. He also knew that maybe...maybe it was a GOOD thing.

Hilde's voice was a small whisper against the quiet. "Don't be so...hard on yourself...you don't...need to be. I won't LET you...bring yourself down...because it...WAS...an accident. I don't want you...to feel BAD...for me. You already...are...and you need...to STOP. You're too...precious...to me...to do that...to yourself..."

Duo's heart beat wildly in his chest from her confession. His eyes widened, but happiness coursed through him, even IF her administration didn't lower his guilt any. She sighed and swallowed hard from pain. Leaning up, he braced himself carefully on her bed and tentatively kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep babe." He whispered from atop her forehead. "I'll be right here if you need anything." He looked away and she nodded minusculy, moving her head slightly into the pillow. Through the pain, she smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

"Not even YOU would eat this crap, Duo!" She complained again.

"Look, you are NOT getting pizza and that's THAT!" He retorted, sternly crossing his arms. Cornflower blue rolled in annoyance at him as she pushed away whatever was in front of her.

"I'm telling you that hospital food is worse than being in PAIN. At least you can find a way OUT of the pain. Hospital food they SHOVE down your THROAT."

Violet rolled at her exaggeration. "Will you just QUIT WHINING already and EAT it?"

A raven brow rose at his exasperated tone. "I will...when you get what I'm talking about." Reaching down, she grabbed the spoon and ladled a full portion, holding it out to him. He stared at her hand, a little fear in his eyes.

'The wuss...he needs a little PRODDING.' She evilly thought.

"Too chicken, Duo?" She asked, gauging his reaction.

His eyes narrowed a bit. "It CAN'T be as bad as you're making it out to be." He muttered, quickly taking the spoon from her. Putting it in his mouth, he grimaced when he realized she was RIGHT. What the cooks put in...WHATEVER this gooey stuff was, it wasn't worth feeding OZ! He wouldn't wish this junk even on THEM! He took the spoon out of his mouth and hastily walked to the small connecting bathroom, quickly spitting what was in his mouth into the sink. After washing his mouth out, he walked back to a smug Hilde.

"Can we order pizza now?" She asked through a widening grin.

He sat back down, tossing the spoon back at her. "No can do. I'm not sneaking something THAT good smelling up against doctor's orders. You think they won't smell that up the hallway?"

Hilde looked at him funny and fought not to laugh...it still hurt to. Both arms lightly over her bandages and smirked. "Why Duo, I never knew you actually FOLLOWED orders...from ANYBODY." His mouth gaped open, then closed without a word. She smiled and bit her lip to keep from laughing.

His eyes rolled, but smiled despite himself. "You know, I almost liked you BETTER when you had that tube down your throat. Couldn't talk back missy." He wagged a finger at her through a humorous look in his eyes.

A brow rose. "What, so you can give me that worried look every five minutes? THAT got old REAL quick." She patronized.

Duo's eyes narrowed at the cheap shot and got out of the chair by her bed. "What do you EXPECT?" His hand shot out, waving up and down her fragile body. "Of COURSE I'm worried about you. You can't even sit UP by yourself yet. You have to have about five pillows from other rooms to aide you! I mean, you didn't exactly ASK to be put here for a solid WEEK already."

"Will you quit BLAMING yourself?" She loudly ordered. "How many times do I have to TELL you...it was an ACCIDENT?"

He cynically snorted as he paced one side in the room. "I'll BELIEVE what you tell me when I stop BLAMING myself. When I see that SCAR you'll probably get MAGICALLY disappear and you're able to take a full breath without pain or bandages in your way. I'll BELIEVE it when I SEE you out of THAT BED."

Her head sadly shook at his outrage. Even a full WEEK wasn't going to sway his thinking. Though she regained the ability to speak and take SOME deep breaths, he wasn't fooled. "You're wrong. Why can't you SEE that I DON'T CARE? What I care is that I'm alive and here to help you out with this." He stopped pacing and walked to the end of her bed, staring at her slightly wide-eyed. She stared back, not backing down. "Do you think I LIKE being here any better than YOU do? I'M the one on the receiving end, not YOU. I know if the rolls were reversed, I would probably be saying what YOU are, and you'd probably be trying to make ME feel better. We just have to ACCEPT what's happened and work on getting my sorry ass OUT of this BED." She stopped short, feeling the strain of arguing with him. She didn't WANT to argue with him, it hurt her to do so. Even play arguing was only minimal fun because she NEVER wanted to fight with Duo. Raising her good hand in between them, her eyes closed with a sigh. "We're getting nowhere." Lowering her hand, she looked at him. "We can go at this till the nurse kicks you out again and it STILL won't change anything. I can't change how YOU feel and you can't change how **I** feel." Duo sighed and cast his eyes down. Closing her eyes, she suddenly realized how tired she was. Leaning back on the pillows, she sighed again. "Besides, arguing with you wears me out too much, and I need to conserve my strength for the battle to heal." She looked back at Duo when he took her hand.

"I'm sorry Hilde. Let's keep the fighting minimal till you heal okay?" He grinned that loving grin and she lightly squeezed his hand in reassurance, giving a small smile at his lame joke. Of COURSE they would probably start back up once she was able to move more freely; he'd probably be ANAL by then... She could still see troubling emotions in his eyes, but was getting too tired to fight back and tell him to not worry.

"Agreed." She said with a soft smile. "Now that we've called a truce for a while, can you take this toxic waste away so I can get a nap?" She grinned when Duo snickered and nodded. Carefully lowering herself into the pillows against the pain, her eyes closed when the door clicked shut.

~*~*~

"That's the last of it. Good riddance!" Having the distinct feeling to wash his hands multiple times and shudder, he left the cafeteria in the now familiar hospital. "They outa put WARNING LABELS on that...that...WHATEVER it is." His tongue stuck out in remembrance of his poor taste buds as his hands shoved in his pockets. When he got back to Hilde's room, he quietly opened the door and shut it just so to keep from waking her. Sleep was most necessary right now and she needed all she could get. Treading silently across the carpet, he noticed her peaceful face and smiled tenderly.

'She's even more cute when she's sleeping. Kinda like a baby.' He mused. Stopping on the far side of the room, he kneeled down on his cot and slowly eased himself into it to keep from creaking the springs. He had one put in after convincing the nurses he wasn't going to leave Hilde's side until she left the hospital. He heard them muttering when they thought he wasn't listening about how romantic it was that he stayed, almost literally, by her side day and night. 'That's me.' He silently quipped. 'An old-fashioned romantic.' Using his hands as a pillow for his head, he stared at the ceiling and listened to Hilde's even breathing. 'I wonder how I missed something as good as these feelings for her.' He thought. His eyes closed and he pictured her smiling face, giving a dreamy smile. 'They're too nice to ignore. Gotta take the bull by the horns kinda deal. But I don't wanna scare her with my own realization until I know SHE feels the same.' His lips pursed. 'IF she EVER feels the same... I HOPE she does.' In all the excitement of her slow recovery and relishing in being by her side with what he felt, he forgot how SHE would take these emotions inside him. Feeling slightly dejected, he sighed. He paused his train of thought when he heard shuffling. Peeking an eye open, his gaze turned toward her bed. The sheets moved a bit, and with a curious smile, he slowly sat up to spy. He saw more of her in sitting position, but he felt like listening in. Grinning evilly, he stood up silently and watched.

_Her eyes popped open and the first thing she was aware of was the familiar setting. Looking around, but not moving, she saw everything was the same when she left it. Experimentally taking a small breath, she was surprised when she felt no pain. Moving her arm, surprise kicked into shock. Everything moved normally. Feeling bold, she sat completely up, then stood. 'Okay, so nothing seems to be broken and all the pain I felt earlier is gone. What's wrong with THIS picture?' She sarcastically thought. The lights were still on...Duo knew better than to leave a room before turning the lights off! He knew how much she HATED that! 'Duo?" She called out. She waited, expecting him to come from the kitchen with a sheepish look on his face, waiting to apologize. 'Hey DUO!' She shouted, waiting for a funny retort. Her lips pursed when he didn't answer and figured she'd have to go looking for him._

_Leaving the living room, she walked into the kitchen and found him sitting at the table, cradling something in his hands. She walked over and purposely gloated, but he didn't seem to hear. As if he were ignoring her. Stomping over, she raised a hand and went to slap his back, but it went right through him. It confused her. When she moved to get a better look, she saw how guilty he looked and felt slightly bad, dropping her head with a small measure of guilt. 'Hey now Duo, I'm alright. See?' When he didn't move, she sighed and her eyes tossed heavenward, asking for patience, as moved to pull up a chair. 'Duo, you're such a worrywart. I'm-' She stopped when her hand ALSO went right through the chair. Her eyes drastically widened and her hand stopped a few inches from her face. She could see and feel herself start to shake from fear from the obvious. She could see almost completely THROUGH her HAND! 'What the hell is GOING ON?!' She cried out, the panic rising through her words. She frantically turned to Duo and tried to touch him, but her hands still went through him. 'DUO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!' She yelled close to his ear, but he acted like she wasn't in the room. He didn't even FLINCH. 'This is not happening, I'm still blacked out and dreaming.' Hands to covered her ears, trying to block out all the terror she was feeling. 'WHAT'S HAPPENING?!' Her mind screamed._

"HILDE, WAKE UP!" Duo shouted again. A hand raised in front of her face and start shaking. Not a good sign; even if it WAS just a dream! He didn't want to shake her because he was on her left side and that was her dislocated shoulder. He didn't want to risk hurting her again, like he direly feared. "Come on babe...ha, ha. **I **get it now." He nervously laughed, and stopped when her breathing picked up. "Come on babe...PLEASE wake up!" He pleaded softly. He had to calm her down or she would end up straining something and make her healing stop, possibly even reopen her stitches. When her eyes fluttered open, confusion and fear resided in them, but her pupils were fully dilated, even in the slightly lighted room.

_'Duo where are you GOING? TALK to me! What's GOING ON?!' She watched him leave the kitchen and head down the hallway to the living room. Stunned about what was taking place, she stood there as he rounded the corner. When he was out of sight, her senses snapped into attention. 'HEY! Come BACK here!' Taking off full speed, she rounded the corner after him. Closing the gap with a few steps, the lights were still on in the living room as she turned from the hallway. Mutterings and beeping from the machines abound scattered around the center of the room invaded unbelieving ears. Curiosity slowly getting the better of her, she slowly took a step forward, wondering just WHAT this was all ABOUT. When no one seemed to notice OR hear her, she decided to use it to her advantage. Part of a figure was visible and her head moved in between the arms of two doctors. Her shoulders went through part of their bodies, but she didn't bother with that as much as the sight in front of her. There was her body, opened by scalpel, being worked on by a bunch of doctors; her body being held open by two prongs. She stared horrified at what was presented in front of her, hard realization washing over her. Suddenly, she felt some sort of pressure, trying to drag her toward her physical body. Duo's face floated through her mind and she somehow broke the hold. Muscles jerked her body a few foot from the scene and she gagged from the horror of it all._

"Oh my GOD...WAKE UP!" Hilde's body jerked and she painfully gagged. He had to STOP this! Emotion shot through her face, but he was still unable to wake her. Tears started in his eyes when she stopped, but he could still hear her rapid breathing. "Please, wake up." He pleaded weakly, tears starting to fall.

_'I have to find Duo, he'll have the rest of the pieces to this puzzle. I hope he's okay...' Her protective side thought. She turned toward the swinging doors, leaving the doctors to their work. She walked to them, but stopped suddenly when a thought sprang up. 'What if I don't end up on the other side? What if I end up in the living room again? How would I get BACK here?' A hand tentatively rose toward the shiny metal and stopped. Duo's face rose in her mind again and her eyes narrowed. 'I have to TRY.' Damned be the consequences when it came to Duo...and her LIFE. Biting her lower lip, she took a giant step and flung herself at the doors. Exhaling a shaky pent-up breath, she smiled in momentary thanks and went down the corridor._ _Gotta find Duo, gotta find Duo kept ringing through her mind._

He stopped all activity with wide-eyes when she muttered she needed to find him. Hilde was dreaming about HIM?? Her hand moved again, then quickly jerked back for some reason. Fear flashed in her eyes, then disappeared as resolve and courage replaced it. He could only watch in horrific fascination as she went through whatever trials she was burdened with. In the conscience, he was no help to her now.

_Knowing of the hospital she was in, but not which room DUO'D be in, it took a lot of guessing and walking around to narrow down the area. Walking into yet another room, a small triumphant smile appeared as she made a beeline straight for him. She knew he'd be near the operating room, and near the nurse's station for updates. She stopped short of him, seeing he didn't move an inch. She observed him and wondered if he fell asleep like that._ _Since he wasn't moving except for small breaths, it was a possibility. She wryly smiled. Cross-legged in a small, hard plastic chair; elbows digging into his knees; tightly clasped hands accompanying nearly white knuckles were the only thing keeping him upright. His fists rested against his forehead, almost like...like he was PRAYING. That took Hilde aback a bit. She never actually SAW Duo pray, even though he wore a priest's garments. She didn't know if he held a RELIGIOUS bias._

_Kneeling to look at his face caught a slight movement from his lips. She studied him and saw the remnants of a tear track being used as another one fell down. 'But Duo NEVER cries...I've never seen him cry.' She was astounded. 'Oh Duo.' She sadly thought. 'I wish there was something I could do to help you.' But she knew there was not a damned thing; she couldn't even TOUCH him. 'I know there's nothing I CAN do, but I wish you could HEAR me.' If only she could SPEAK and reassure him she was OKAY. If not physically, then 'spiritually' she was still with him. Moving her hand a little, she put it just above his calf, being careful not to move through him; that part was still too weird to deal with yet. Leaning forward, she looked into his closed eyes. 'It's not your fault Duo.' She whispered, wishing she could make him understand._

Duo's head jerked back when upon her emotional whisper. He remembered back to when he heard someone whisper that, when he was in waiting room during Hilde's surgery. He remembered that instant and wondered who said it. When his head jerked up, he was alone, except for the nurses. But their voices wouldn't have carried that softly, that far. Sorrow laced his face as well as wonder. This wasn't happening...there had to be a hallucination from lack of sleep...or that FOOD! He wished he could get inside her head and see what she was dreaming...or to make her wake UP!

_She saw his eyes pop open and his head jerked up in alarm. 'Duo, Duo, can you hear me??' She quickly asked. She saw him look around the room, even though they were the only ones there. Confusion apparent in his eyes, it showed through the depths of his sorrow._ _He heard, but still couldn't see her. Then it was over and he went back to his silent prayer. Her mouth tightly pressed together to halt a despairing cry.Her ears perked up from the sound of a small beeping somewhere nearby. She heard a quick, uneasy scuffle of chairs and looked up to see the nurses swiftly cross the room, leaving the way she entered. Her brows lowered in interest, wondering where they were going in such a hurry. The beeping continued and she saw Duo look up out of the corner of her eye. She looked at his eyes riveted on the nurse's station down the hallway from the open waiting room. She reached the cubicle and walked into the open area, devoid of any staff. She looked around to find the noise. She caught sight of a blinking red light and walked toward it. 'Hmm, room 3109?' She read silently. 'Code red...cardiac arrest.' Her eyes narrowed curiously and she looked up at Duo down the hall._

Duo stared at Hilde as she spoke aloud, partially scared that she was dreaming something he never TOLD her about. The night she was brought in UNCONSCIOUS to surgery. Yet, he was curious as to HOW she knew something he never told her about. He stopped trying to wake her up because he knew it was useless to shake or yell at her since she wouldn't hear. He just held her hand and told her he was right there, hoping her subconscious would hear. When she spoke through her dream, revealing the room number and her stopped heart, he was truly afraid.His body started shaking as he tapped her hand slightly, afraid of what was going on, and desperately wanting answers.

_'HNG!'_ _Hands quickly clutched her chest at the burst of intense pain as the cry wrenched from gritted teeth. She felt a slight twinge and then felt as if her body was being lifted off the ground. In a heartbeat, it all clicked. 'I'm a ghost as far as I can tell. I saw my physical body on the operating table, opened.' She shuddered as a strong shiver ran up her spin. 'Not an experience I want to live through again.' Her head shook. 'If the nurses rushed through where I came from, then that means that the cardiac arrest signal was for...ME!' Already wide eyes widened some more. She felt the upward pull on her body and wondered if it was heaven or hell calling for her. 'I can't go.' She dejectedly knew. She looked over at Duo and took a few steps toward him. 'I can't leave him like this, I have to come back.' She couldn't leave him in this state, or any state other than happy. He already lost so much in his life, she didn't need to be added to it. She walked toward the path of the nurses, then faced Duo. 'Don't worry Duo, I'm not leaving you. I'll come back to you! I'll wipe that sorrowful look off your face!' She yelled, taking off in a dead run for her E.R._

Duo's eyes watered at the heartfelt words she spoke. He remembered praying to God to let Hilde stay with him so he could show and tell her how much he care for her... Maybe God directed Hilde BACK to him. It was hard to tell what the fates held in their hand. He watched her legs jerk as she 'ran' again and moved her head, then legs and body. He wondered if he should get the doctor in here in case it was a seizure, but her eyes popped open and halted the urge.

She looked up with wild eyes as she finally jerked herself from her dream. 'More like a NIGHTMARE.' Yet, it was one she felt she lived. 'But I would KNOW something that horrible.' She thought, scared at her wayward thinking. She finally noticed Duo on her left, looking scared and frantic as he shook her hand and pleaded with her to answer him and give answers. Her hand flew over her waist and almost fearfully gripped his forearm. Her left pulled from his grip and grasped his upper arm. Her eyes watered as she stared into his violet eyes. She was immediately relieved that Duo was all right and he was near. She wasn't a spirit...yet she knew it WAS no dream and it was REAL. It felt so genuine, so recent. It caused a good portion of the fear she felt and she started shaking at such unknown.

"Duo you're here! I'm okay! I'm not a ghost. I'm in my body! I was so scared Duo... I yelled for you but you didn't answer me and I could see right through my body! I saw myself on the operating table and you were crying and praying to God for him not to take me! I felt my heart STOP Duo! But I couldn't leave you! I ran to my body in the operating room and there were nurses and doctors in the room trying to start my heart beating and I KNEW I had to get back in my body quick! I figured out how and I woke up!" She rambled rapidly. A floodgate opened from somewhere and she blurted everything to him, both too frightened at this odd turn of events to think clearly.

Duo put a shaky finger on her lips to quiet her true ramblings. His trembling legs gave out and he quickly kneeled in front of her, hitting the floor hard. It did little to jog his rationality. Her hands quickly let go of his arm as he moved. He grabbed her hand and stared into teary eyes through his equally watery eyes. This made no sense; he kept telling himself she was just having a nightmare. But the things she SAID...the things she KNEW... He hadn't told her ANYTHING of what happened to her that fateful night...he didn't want to scare her with the facts he was forced to endeavor those long hours. Somehow...she knew those things on her own. The more she dreamt and unconsciously confessed, the more he knew it actually HAPPENED. He wondered about her being a 'spirit', or having an out of body experience. He didn't really believe in stuff like that, but the facts grossly outweighed his doubts.

His hand wiped the tears away from her face. "Calm down babe." He whispered. "Now slow down and take a deep breath before you hurt yourself. THEN tell me what happened." He listened as she told him in detail more than what he already knew about her dream, now convinced she had an out of body experience. But she looked frightened enough and he didn't want to add to it. "Listen Hilde, it was just a DREAM, okay?" He said, unconvinced at his own words. He was just trying to get her, and HIMSELF, to calm down, but neither believed the words that passed through his lips. "Do you know you talked during your sleep?" He whispered humorlessly. "You said not to worry; that you'd come back to me. That you were going to wipe the sorrowful look from my face. You wouldn't leave me."

Her eyes quickly dropped from his as she blushed, bringing SOME color to her still pale face. "I heard you praying to God, Duo." She whispered. His eyes dropped, giving a sheepish grin through a small blush. She knew that too? It was a rarity that he ever prayed, usually out of necessity or dire emergency...just like that night was. "And you were crying too, I don't WANT you to cry over me Duo." He looked up at Hilde's soft, heartfelt expression and his started matching hers. The hand against her soft face moved to lightly stroke her hair.

Silently, and somewhat reluctant, he acknowledged that MAYBE what happened wasn't TRULY a dream. He didn't WANT her to know he cried over her, but he was so WORRIED she would pull through. "You know why I cried that night?" Her head shook a bit. "I didn't want to lose you...because I CARE for you." A surprised and happy look came to her eyes and face. He smiled. Finally, he came clean with the feelings he was trying to deny and hide. It felt SO GOOD to do so, too.

Her heart swelled, yet caused her no pain...not THIS time. In fact ALL her pain lessened greatly at those words Duo uttered. Her smile shone brighter than the sun as she stared at his beautiful eyes, wondering how she could've missed the feelings she could now see so clearly. Her head turned toward his hand and his eyes beamed through tears. "I care for you too Duo. And I won't EVER leave you. I promise." She softly whispered. Turning her lips to Duo's wrist, she softly kissed the inside of it. She never HAD left Duo, it was always him regrettably leaving HER. Though he came back to her, she was always there, waiting for him. There was no shame in the idea of being so stuck on someone that you'd wait your life away for however long it took. She did, and this was its result.


	4. Chapter 4

"I am SO glad to get OUT of here!" Hilde commented gratefully. Carefully stretching her body, she grinned contentedly. "And I've SO been looking forward to doing THAT too." She gave a quiet chuckle and itched her sides, halted by the bandages high on her chest. A few days ago, she pleaded and argued with Duo, then resulted to the puppy dog look, to get him to alter her medical records so she could leave a few days early. She FELT well enough, but if she didn't, she wasn't going to tell DUO. Two weeks in the hospital took its role through boredom and need for freedom from her white-walled prison. Finishing the last button, she looked at herself through the mirror and shook her head.

'I wish I had more to my body.' She silently wished, picking at the shirt. 'This looks like a TENT on me.' She sighed and stared at her chest, all wrapped up in recent gauze. With an impish thought, she brought the collar to her nose and inhaled the scent. It smelt like clean laundry and Duo...and she wouldn't have it any other way. Giving a dreamy smile, she was interrupted by a short, quiet knock on the door.

"You DONE babe? There aren't THAT many holes to that shirt of mine." He called, leaning against the wall. Why did women insist on taking so long to look ready? All they were doing was going HOME...

She smiled a bit at his impatient tone. It sounded a little protective too and her heart fluttered. What did he think...she couldn't button a single shirt? "Yea, I'm done." Making sure that nothing was left lying around, she left the bathroom. "Your clothes are too big Duo." She tried pouting through a smile and circled once just to show him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're just too tiny." He quipped back, smiling as he eyed her. Her head shook with a grin. This she knew. "Besides, if you wanted me to sneak you out of here, you're going to follow all the doc's orders." Her eyes rolled with a huff. How many times was he going to REPEAT that?? The doctor warned against wearing her own clothes; they might press against her wound and cause bleeding, or put excess pressure through the wrappings and gauze. Duo didn't need to repeat such a necessary warning to HER; she was WELL aware of the fact! As he turned to the door, she looked at the backpack on his shoulder and suddenly thought he looked too adorable in his normal priest's garments. The pack made him look like a schoolboy the way his hand clutched the strap over his shoulder. Hilde inwardly smiled at the thought and fought a schoolgirl giggle. "Shall we?" He humorously asked, bowing a little. She eagerly nodded with a grin at his antics and they walked to the door. When Duo opened it, she looked on in shock.

"What is THAT?" She loudly asked, sharply pointing a finger. Her eyes speared the blockade with rage, wishing to whither it.

He looked at her strangely and went to grip the handles. "Well, I don't know about YOU, but I think modern man calls it a wheelchair." 

Her irritation boiled a little and she resisted the urge to slap him upside the head. Instead, she settled for grabbing his braid and giving it a tug. "I MEAN, what is it doing in front of my ROOM?" She heatedly asked, turning her glare to him.

"That's going to be your transportation till you're well, or until I can get something different arranged." He answered, gingerly rubbing his head. Even though still healing, she had quite a grip on her!

Stepping back, Hilde held both arms away from her sides, still glaring. "Do I LOOK like I can't walk?" She indignantly retorted.

His eyes indignantly rolled at her stubborn behavior. Losing his patience, all the humor left him. "Just sit DOWN will you?" He seriously asked, done playing around. She was as obstinate as he was a lot of times, so a firm hand was the way to deal with this. She shivered as his violet eyes darkened a bit. "I'm not going to argue with you in the middle of the hallway in the HOSPITAL. Just be grateful one of the nurses gave it to me. I bet these things aren't CHEAP. I KNOW it looks bad to you, but you're still not healed all the way." He finished with a low tone. "I know you're independent and THINK you can do everything without my help, but if you want me to doctor your records, then SIT in this chair and just go with the FLOW for once!" He hissed near her face.

Realizing he made a good point but not wanting to say he was right, she plopped down on the seat. Gently crossing her arms across her chest, she pouted while he wheeled her to the nurse's station. 'I feel like an INVALID!' Her mind angrily screamed. She was NOT a paraplegic, just very limited with arm movement! Why was he making her LOOK like one?? 'THIS SUCKS!' After signing the release forms, she secretly vowed she was going to try and get out of the damned chair as much as possible. Duo wouldn't be able to watch her EVERY minute of every day... Her attention perked up and she looked around as Duo wheeled her to the elevator, through a VERY familiar waiting room. Déjà vu surrounded her and she recognized the place, but kept quiet. They already had a little tête-à-tête over that little 'dream'; she didn't want to rehash everything right now. All she wanted to do was LEAVE.

She started to become confused when Duo walked outside, away from the hospital. "What's going on?" She asked. "Why didn't you call a cab?" She looked up a little, trying to figure out the reason behind it all.

"It's nice enough to walk home and it's not that far." He casually responded. She turned back in the seat and looked at the scenery, silently agreeing with him. After staring at four white walls for two weeks, it was nice to look at buildings and flora again. Still...she didn't want Duo to PUSH her ALL the way home. Yea he was a Gundam Pilot, but she was beginning to feel like a burden, even NOW. She knew he wouldn't allow her to use her arms, or ANY part of her body, so offering to WALK was out. He would probably make some excuse about overexertion on the way home and spring for a cab. Right now, they needed all the credits they could hoard. Folding her hands in her lap, she purposely tried not to think about the people they would pass on the way home. She didn't want anybody staring at her because of Duo's stubbornness. About half a mile or so to the house, he stopped and confused her. "What're you doing Duo? Why'd you stop?" She asked, looking up.

He looked at her and smiled. "Stand up real quick." He instructed. She did so, perplexed, but not wanting to miss an opportunity to get out of the chair. She remembered Duo saying she wasn't to get out of the chair till she was well, so she watched in confusion. He gently pushed her out of the way, took a deep breath, and walked around to the front of the wheelchair. Sitting down he looked at curious blue eyes. "Okay, you can sit down now." She gave him a wide-eyed 'are you crazy' look and openly gaped. "Look, I can push us faster than the present mode we're going. Plus, my legs are getting tired and I could use a rest. This is the best way." He explained, resting his arms on the armrests. Teeth nervously biting her inner lip, she turned and slowly sat down. When she did, her rear moved against his upper thighs as she tried to situate her legs over the side without touching the wheels. Right then, he knew this was a BAAADDD idea. He tried to keep a calm exterior to keep from showing how she affected him. "Okay, to put your hands on my shoulders so you won't fall off." His body felt every curve, every touch where they connected, and his skin was on fire. His brain was muddled at his original intention when he felt Hilde's fingers lightly clutch of the fabric he wore, nails delicately pressing against his body.

She was unsure about the whole situation, and she liked it even less when his leg muscles tightened, his chest clenching under his shirt. Her face heated a slight degree and she was glad for the hair covering some of her face. OOOHHH, but this was AWKWARD! When told to put her arms on his shoulders, she made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and saw passion building there. Her heart started to rapidly uptake in anticipation and she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, and to stop the small attack of pain she was receiving for being such a ninny. Yes, Duo told her he cared for her, but making something into what it wasn't didn't help the hope in her heart. Duo cared for a LOT of people she knew of; some of the pilots for example. She wasn't going to get her hopes up when 'caring' for someone had plenty of levels and severities.

She concentrated her vision on keeping her legs positioned just so, so she wouldn't hit the wheels, or Duo's arms. She didn't know how she was going to be able to keep them in one position for the rest of the way home. For weeks of being unable to get out of bed, partly by doctor and Duo insistence, her muscles were bound to be screaming when they finally arrived home. When she figured she was as ready as she would ever be, she looked into his eyes and lightly smiled, mostly convincing herself. She still took a few deep breaths to calm down. He nodded and she moved her gaze off to the side so he could see. She carefully leaned against the other side of the wheelchair and turned her eyes towards their destination; home. After her heart calmed down a bit, she absorbed more of the scenery to take her mind off the parts of Duo's body she was touching, and the shoulder muscles that worked as his powerful arms moved the wheels. To be truthful, she was slightly turned on at the direct intimacy and tried to kill the blush spreading over her face. But the emotions of a woman are a LOT more powerful than the mind. It was a fight to keep her face masked in a neutral position, so she acted nonchalant about the whole thing.

Duo's eyes were half on the sidewalk and half on the chunk of hair that brushed against Hilde's face from the wind as they moved. He had the BIGGEST urge to stop and brush it behind her ear. It would also be an excuse to feel the softness of her hair and skin, to touch her period. Once again, he surprised himself at the level his thoughts were going in. A month ago, if someone said he liked Hilde, he would've laughed outrageously, then commented that they were only friends and gave the person a 'friendly reminder' to keep their FACTS straight. But now, reactions in his body he didn't think possible were occurring with his closest friend. 'She's more than that though.' He seriously mused. The scenery slowly turned familiar, and he thanked God they were nearly home. The way Hilde's mouth turned up in a small smile as she looked around was starting to make him forget his resolve to not kiss her and throw all caution to the wind. He wanted to kiss her...just to see how soft her lips were, and to see if she responded back. He saw the cute blush on her cheeks when she sat down and got herself comfortable, and he fought not to smile. She was embarrassed, like he was, about his whole physical contact they had going on. It was extremely brazen on his part and new to them both. Mentally shaking his head, as his body was once again aware of Hilde sitting on it, he forced a blank mind as his arms pushed harder to get home faster.

When the front door came into view, Hilde felt a large amount of relief and silently thanked God herself. They hadn't said a word to each other the entire way home, and the tension was starting to get to her. And mostly, in HER mind, the SEXUAL tension! She didn't know if DUO was perturbed like she was, but she didn't know inside his head as she liked, so it was anyone's guess. A few people around the neighborhood smiled at the picture they must've made and every time, her eyes quickly diverted. She almost wished they would wheel in front of a mirror so she could see for herself...just for curiosity sake. When he stopped in front of the door, she nearly jumped from his lap to relieve the discomfiture and felt a sense of separation, physically and mentally. But she didn't voice anything because this was new territory to her; she didn't want to impose on him. There was plenty he was ALREADY doing that he didn't need to. She waited for him to get up and then obediently sat down, not wanting to argue while she was so close to being HOME. As he fumbled for the front door key, it was an impatient wait. Hands stayed in her lap and her eyes speared them because she saw his back and shoulder muscles work as he walked. It wasn't like she hadn't looked BEFORE, subtly of course, but that was then and this was a stage they reached that they NEVER breached before. She wanted to stare but didn't want Duo knowing. She stared blushing and harshly bit her lip to keep from smiling.

When he pushed her inside, she saw the house was picked up and cleaned. She looked around with wide eyes, unbelieving that DUO, HIMSELF cleaned the house. She ALWAYS did the cleaning because he whined his way out of it, saying it was 'girl stuff'. Girl stuff INDEED. He didn't have too much trouble NOW it seemed. She smiled as he wheeled her into the living room and moved things around so the chair could move without much difficulty. She felt his eyes and looked away from admiring the house, smugly smiling at him. "Looks like some sort of cleaning service snuck in during my stay and decided to go on a freak cleaning job." She teased. She snickered when he pouted.

"Hey, I cleaned the house SPECIFICALLY for when you came home." He whined. "I didn't want it looking like a pigsty because you ALWAYS keep the place so neat and tidy. I just tried to follow your example." She smiled, slightly embarrassed, and he patted himself on the back for unintentionally complimenting her. She looked utterly ADORABLE right now, and he knew he should do it more often by the cute way she ducked her head and demurely looked at her hands.

Her heart fluttered at the compliment Duo gave, because she didn't think he NOTICED she even CLEANED the house. Men were normally pigs by nature, or sloppy to a degree, and he was no exception. She looked at him with a gentle smile. "Thank you. You do a pretty good job yourself...even for a Shinigami." She caught his pleased smile and small blush before he walked around and wheeled her to the kitchen without another word. Her mouth pressed together in amusement, catching that little blush of his. Though known to be a 'comedian', he was rarely embarrassed, or praised. She was privately grinning when they reached the fridge, knowing she'd have to find something ELSE to praise him on. When they stopped, she found herself starving because she was given nothing BUT hospital food and was dying for some REAL food. She looked at the fridge, then violet, in anticipation. "Can I eat REAL FOOD now, Duo?" She eagerly asked. She then realized how stupid she sounded and looked away. "You know...since you didn't let me eat anything but SLOP while I was in traction." She finished, looking up again.

He looked into her playful eyes and felt his heart melt just a fraction. "For once, you're going to have real food." He softly agreed. The pleasure in her eyes strengthened, and he remembered what he ate at the hospital, courtesy of Hilde's teasing. He did it only to prove a point because he thought she was making it out to be worse than normal cause she was stuck in bed. But it was gross beyond BELIEF, and that was another reason he was glad she was out of the hospital. He resolved to put some weight on her petite little body and hospital food WASN'T going to WORK. He opened the door and stepped back to wheel her nearer the fridge so she could see.

Her eyes rolled in sudden irritation. "Are you planning on babying me the ENTIRE TIME?" She asked in mock exasperation.

He smiled brightly and nodded before going back to the fridge and named off what sounded good. 'But then, EVERYTHING sounds good.' She hungrily thought. Her eyes rolled again as she listened to his ramblings. EVERYTHING he named off sounded good, to BOTH of them! Even though she was PERFECTLY capable of LOOKING in the fridge, it sounded GOOD to be babied...even if it WAS by Duo. She smiled, and it reflected in her eyes as she watched him rummage through the fridge. Having Duo around didn't sound so bad, especially to take CARE of her. She didn't allow many people the privilege, since she was HIGHLY independent, but this was DUO here. Someone she crushed on for MONTHS...and even still.

Duo stopped when he noticed Hilde didn't answer him after he finished. When his gaze turned to her, she held a wistful and dreamy look on her face, directed at HIM. Shivers ran up his spine from the gaze, and his head cocked to one side, giving her a funny look. "Um, something wrong Hilde?" He uneasily asked. She snapped out of the reverie and he fought not to laugh at her flustered look. Moving behind her, he wheeled her at an angle closer to the fridge so she could pick what SHE wanted, also to relieve her of the mortification. "Why don't YOU find something for dinner? You always DID know how to cook better than **I** did. We can make it together; sound good?"

She was grateful Duo didn't say a word about her acting like a moron. It was bad ENOUGH she couldn't control the way her MIND was thinking recently... She nodded and thoughts of cooking with Duo appeared in her mind. She put on another dreamy look now that her back was facing him and rummaged through the pile of food, trying to find a perfect dish the they could make together. 'It will be one to be remembered.' She resolved. 'FINALLY, I can teach Duo something about COOKING!' She handed about half a dozen items to set aside and use. Hands went to her lap as she looked at his wide-eyed gaze directed at the food. She smiled because he didn't have the LEAST bit knowledge when it came to ingredients. All she gave him were spices and extras she kept in the fridge to last longer.

"The main dish is too heavy and I know you won't let me get it out myself, so YOU'LL have to."

He nodded and walked forward to wheel her out of the way. "So what're we having?" He eagerly asked, smiling in spite of his boyish tone.

Her lips pressed together to keep from laughing. He normally WAS like this whenever she was in the kitchen, or in the middle of making dinner. The boy ate large amounts of food when he wanted to, and NO ONE got in the way of a hungry Duo Maxwell. But she found it adorable that he acted like a kid. She didn't want him growing up JUST yet; he did enough of it as it was with the war. "Get the haddock out of the top in the back." She instructed.

He grabbed a large wrapped package of half a dozen fish and wrinkled his nose. They sure didn't LOOK appetizing, but he knew Hilde would work her magic. He suddenly grinned from an odd, ODD thought in his head. "Any distant relatives of yours?" He held the package in front of her. She looked at him like he was nuts and put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. It hurt to laugh heartily and she didn't want to overdue anything. "I'll take that as a NO." He stood and closed the door. "Just checking." He chuckled and set the main course next to the rest of the items. "Anything ELSE you're going to need?"

"Only to get started." She looked at him, grinning evilly. "Or should I say YOU'LL get started."

He gave a mock horrified look, but mentally he was EXCITED to learn something new. And he couldn't have asked for a better teacher, ESPECIALLY at cooking. He smiled and smartly saluted. "Yes SIR! What do I need to do, SIR?"

Her head slowly shook, smiling at his playful nature. It was heartwarming to see him back to normal, even at the surface. She KNEW he was feeling different inside, but right now she wanted to have fun torturing him. She hadn't met a guy YET that LOVED to cook. Though Duo tolerated it and COULD fix himself something, he left it up to her because he knew she was better in the kitchen. "That's MA'AM, you dink! First thing, get a large pan out from above the stove. Grab the milk and butter. But give me the pan, THIS I don't think I trust you to do." He held it out and she set it on her lap. "Now the milk and butter, please." She poured a large portion of the milk and placed a chunk of the butter in the pan before handing everything back when she figured that to be enough. "Put the pan on the back right burner and turn it on low." She waited to continue till he caught up with her instructions. "While that heats up, get out a really good knife." She widely grinned. "You're going to get to gut a fish for the first time."

He looked at her wide-eyed for a second, then eagerly rubbed his hands. "OOOOO DISECTION, ne? **I **getcha." He went for the group of knives on the counter and held one out. "This one good?" He rummaged for two more before she pointed out the right sizes for him. "Ok, what do I do first?"

"This part I know you'll like." He looked at her curiously, hand poised in the air to be put to use. "Grab the butcher knife," He did as instructed, "and decapitate it."

He looked at the fish wide-eyed, then her. "WITHOUT anesthetic? Are you NUTS?" She giggled and her shook head in amusement. He smiled. Her presence was addicting.

"It's DEAD dork! You aren't going to HURT it. Come on, I though Shinigami would ENJOY it." She smirked. "Just pretend it's an Oz soldier."

He looked back at the fish, his smile growing wider. An odd notion considering he was just playing around, but THAT didn't sound too bad. "SHINIGAMI BANZAI!" He gleefully shouted. Hand held high, it quickly went down, segregating head from body. He went for the tail next, as she instructed. The main parts now separated, he grabbed the other knife and started de-scaling the fish. It wasn't as easy as it seemed; the little buggers were slippery and a few stuck to his hands. It was an odd feeling, and mildly gross, but he suffered through and mentally took notes. The first one finally finished, he washed off the paring knife and separated the meat from the skeleton. Hilde was very proud at how delicately and methodically he worked. She hardly coached him at all. He was a very good pupil. With his first fish cleaned and gutted, he set the white meat aside and moved to the next one, actually ENJOYING the task in front of him. He probably wouldn't remember EVERYTHING to the direct command, but a large part of it yes. He SURE wouldn't forget cleaning his first fish. It was actually EXCITING to know he'd done it himself...with JUST a little help.

The pot finally boiled as he put everything in. Upon asking WHY he had to put it on low, she looked at him and shook her head. She stupidly reminded he just gut half a dozen fish, by the time the mix would've boiled, he wouldn't have been ready to put it in the pot. He added the spices she pointed to and inhaled the aroma as the steam rose. He moved her to the fridge upon request and turned the stove to a lower setting to allow a longer time to cook. She rummaged through for a side dish, thoughtfully fingering her chin. She knew he was having fun, but she DESPERATELY wanted to get OUT of the damn chair and make it HERSELF. Cooking for them both was a secret pleasure, and not being able to see and do everything herself was irking her. But he genuinely wanted to help, so she kept quiet. She handed him a bunch more ingredients for just ONE side dish. She didn't know how he'd take making THIS, but she'd have to give it a go. While he tended to everything ELSE, she would think about the third dish.

"So what have you decreed I make NOW?" He asked, handing her things they already used to put away. He wheeled her away from the door to shut it and looked at the strange mix of ingredients.

"Get another large pan from above the stove and fill it with water this time." He curiously did as instructed and set it next to the other on the back burner. "Grab a bowl from that cupboard." He went to where she pointed, wondering if he'd remember half of this tomorrow. He considered himself lucky he remembered where everything WAS. He grabbed the plastic container and smiled. He HIGHLY doubted he would. "There're wooden spoons in that drawer. Grab a few." He did and set everything next to the ingredients. "Is the water boiling yet?" He looked at the pan and shook his head.

"Not yet, oh impatient one."

She lightly scowled. "I'd get out of this chair and give your braid a good YANK, but you'd throw me right back in." Her arms crossed with a pout.

He beamed. "THAT I WOULD." He happily agreed.

Her head shook with a smile. A nail fingered her chin as she sighed. "Well there's not a whole hell of a lot you can do till that water boils, so wheel me back to the fridge."

He raised an eyebrow, but did as told. "How much food am I MAKING here?" He asked, wide-eyed.

Her shoulders drooped and her head tilted. "Well let's see...HMMMM...HOW much do you EAT again?" She joked. His eyes narrowed with a playful scowl at his teenager eating habits and promptly messed up her hair. "HEY!" She looked at him and pursed her lips, but ended up smiling at his playful grin.

"So what WOULD I be making?"

"Devil's food eggs."

He raised an eyebrow. "DEVIL'S eggs huh?" He smiled again. "Sounds like MY kind of DISH."

"No, they're called DEVIL'S, NOT Shinigami eggs." He quietly chuckled. She turned back to the fridge, deciding on something simple while everything else heated. She reached in a grabbed a few heads of lettuce. "This should work for now. All you have to do is cut this up." 

His head tilted as he looked at the two heads. "Man, where's Wufei's SWORD when I need it?"

She smiled and rested her hands on the armrests. "Dunno. Move me back. We're cooling down the house here." She ordered with a sly grin. 

His eyes rolled and quickly set the lettuce down. "YES your majesty."

She smiled. "You know, that sounds FITTING." He quickly gagged and messed up her hair again. "HEY!" Her eyes narrowed. "WHEN I get out of this chair, your hair is going to be TWICE as bad as MINE!"

He waved off her threat. "Which isn't saying much since your hair is WAY shorter than mine." He looked at the stove to make sure everything was ok and turned his attention back to her. He walked behind the chair and gently ran his hands through her hair, combing it out. "See? All pretty, so quit whining." He walked around and smiled gently when he spied the peaceful look on her face. He reached out and gave her chin a small tap. "Don't fall asleep on me here, I have no idea what I'm doing."

She smiled and opened her eyes. "THAT'S obvious." Though she took in the double meaning, she wondered if he meant it that way. It had to be about the food; that was the main reason they were in the kitchen. But back to work... It took a while to get everything finished and she was SERIOUSLY antsy to get up and walk around, mostly to take the spoon out of Duo's hand and oversee everything HERSELF. But she had to admit, he followed her orders really well and everything turned out the same. He set everything down on the table and wheeled her to her place, now void of a chair. He went back into the kitchen and put everything to soak when she reminded him to. He figured she knew what she was talking about, since SHE did the dishes as WELL. Knowing he wouldn't let her do as much arm movement as possible, mostly by doctor's orders, soaking the dishes to make them easier to clean DID sound LOGICAL...

It was MORE than dark outside by the time they both dug in, but it didn't matter to either of them. HE was surprised he actually MADE something this GOOD, and SHE was amazed at how excited Duo was to learn COOKING. But with HER tutelage, and being a few feet away, it was nearly impossible for him to screw anything up. She had to admit, they made a good team. The taste of the fish was proof enough. Little talk was made, mostly because they were enjoying everything, but she was almost amazed Duo hadn't tried to feed her himself with as much as he was babying her. She was hardly allowed to lift her arms, so she was surprised he let her EAT by herself. It was ridiculous, not being able to walk when she was perfectly capable, and the idea of HAND FEEDING her, but with as soft and tender as the fish turned out, there wasn't much effort put into it. She felt his eyes on her every so often and looked into them every time, smiling when she did. She complimented him without adding a sarcastic comment after, feeling he was MORE than deserving of honest praise. He took it all to heart, now wanting to be in the kitchen to learn more. Cooking wasn't as bad as he THOUGHT.


	5. Chapter 5

Stirring the wooden spoon around the pot, she raised herself up to check inside and make sure everything was cooking, as it should be. Satisfied that nothing would burn, she pressed a button and lowered herself down a fraction in the air. The breeze from the window over the sink caught her hair and ruffled it, catching her attention. Looking over, she stared out at blue skies and dreamily smiled. Turning the stove down, so nothing was in danger of ruining dinner, her mind was free to wander. The past week was nothing but bliss for the both of them. After the entire stay in the hospital and admitting they cared for each other in the duration, it was like a giant weight was lifted off both their shoulders. A blush crept up her face from the amount of open flirting and teasing Duo bombarded her with the day after he brought her home. 'It was like that little admittance was holding him back.' She marveled, slowly shaking her head. It was SO strange that saying 'I care for you' could change an emotional river so drastically. 

...Emotions... A slow, almost evil smile curved her mouth and her fingers drifted up to brush against them. They'd shown a LOT of feelings in the past week, so much more than normal that it nearly overwhelmed her. Closing her eyes, she rekindled the memory of their first kiss, and the softness of Duo's lips; how gentle and unsure he was. She NEVER saw Duo unsure about ANYTHING until that day. It sure was an eye opener past his cocky, funny exterior. Propping a hand up for her chin, she pleasantly sighed. That afternoon was a day to remember...ever since then, things were so DIFFERENT.

_Sitting in the living room, she sighed again for what seemed the millionth time that day. The book listlessly fell in her lap for the seventh time since she picked it up. Rubbing her eyes, she couldn't get rid of that caged feeling that plagued her since she got home. SURE it was better to be in a wheelchair than to not be able to move at ALL...but with Duo around, there really was no DIFFERENCE. The ONLY times he'd let her use rapidly deteriorating legs was bathroom uses. She had to nearly beat him over the HEAD to get him to see REASON for that! She looked up at the open curtains and intense longing speared through her. She wanted to go OUTSIDE! And NOW. She wanted to move her legs more than just getting up to use the bathroom or getting in bed. Or swinging them around when the footrests were in upright position. It was so INFURIATING. When Duo was near, which was nearly ALL the time, she could hardly move her ARMS. It wasn't good to do so ANYWAY, but how did she expect to use them when her wound HEALED if she didn't exercise?? It was going to be harder to get her body back to normal if Duo never let her out of the chair. Her legs constantly fell asleep from disuse. She only picked the book up for something to DO. Duo wouldn't let her do dishes because she'd use her arms, she couldn't take a shower because it was hard enough to do with doctor's orders, and Duo wouldn't let her go outside unless he was WITH her. Prisoner anybody? She huffed and wistfully stared at the colony's fake sun._

_Early in the morning, which was TOO early for DUO, he rushed out to the junkyard, saying he had some finishing touches on a big project he was working on. She figured he was fixing up Deathsycthe and planning on leaving soon. Heaviness weighed on her heart, but she didn't think TOO much about that thought. She didn't want to think like that because she KNEW Duo wouldn't leave her here like this, even though she could manage just fine on her OWN. With as bad as he was pestering her, it was doubtful he'd up and leave on a mission. Not even MISSIONS seemed as important as her care. Least, that's what SHE thought. But it was dangerous to get confidant that Duo wouldn't leave. She didn't TRULY know Duo inside and out; the war was CERTAINLY more important than one injured girl he cared for. This was a galaxy-wide struggle and he was needed as much as possible. It was a severely depressing thought. Managing on her own and regaining the independence she held onto wouldn't make up for his exuberant company._

_To annunciate her point, the back door nearly crashed off the hinges as Duo practically tore in from the kitchen. "THERE you are! Good...you're not doing anything!" He rambled excitedly, almost skidding to a stop in front of her._

_"How CAN I? You won't LET me remember?" She retorted, giving him a fierce glare at her boredom._

_"Mere technicality." His hand waved off her attitude as if it was nothing and she became aware of the grease that dotted his hands and the coveralls he donned this morning._

_"What's up?" She asked, forcing her agitation down. Getting into a scuffle over something she WASN'T going to change was pointless. This was DUO here. He merely grinned and didn't answer her, which peaked her curiosity. Nearly running behind her, he maneuvered her chair from the living room and out the back door. The first thing she was glad for was fresh air and sunshine on her face. A real smile lit her face. "Any reason I'm allowed to come outside, mister anal?" She lightly quipped, making a deliberate jab at his overprotectiveness. She gave a small giggle and waited for him to muss her hair or return the jab. When he didn't answer, she looked up, seeing his chin and cheekbones curved upwards in that adorable smile of his. Somehow, being in this position seemed intimate somehow...probably because she had a pretty good view of his jaw line, something she liked about him. "Did you lose your hearing out here?" She asked. Her arms crossed, her good mood turning to impatience. "Did you fix up the Deathsycthe?" Silence. "Did you lodge a SCREW in your EAR?" She loudly asked, huffing when she received the silent treatment. Was he ignoring her? She didn't do anything he didn't ALLOW... Stopping in the center of the yard, her arms uncrossed as she turned in the chair. "What're you DOING??" She snapped, intolerance rearing its ugly head._

_He stepped out from behind her, wryly smiling. "It's a surprise, miss IMPATIENT. I have something for you." He smiled brightly and ran behind a pile of junk, out of her view. She humphed and slouched in her wheelchair, knowing if she moved an INCH he'd know and lecture her on keeping safe and not moving her arms. But her interest was stirred and the wheels started working. He GOT her something? A present for her...WHY? It was no special occasion, no birthdays he would even REMEMBER, so what was the big secret? Yet, on her own violation, her eyes were glued to the pile of junk he ran behind, patiently awaiting his arrival with whatever was behind there. Her senses perked up from being cooped up for so long as her eyes remained glued. The sun felt good on her exposed skin and she felt the breeze softly blowing from the generators. The smells and sounds of the neighborhood reached her nose and ears. One sound in particular got there quicker then the rest, also causing her to sit up in interest. The mystery finally revealed itself when Duo came out from behind the pile, HOVERING in the air._

_'WHAT THE-?!' Flew through her mind. Her eyes were glued to Duo and what he was riding on, which floated off the ground as he flew to her. Her eyes widened and she sat ramrod straight as she stared in allure. She became slightly aware that her mouth was open in fascination of the peculiar object he was riding on. It clamped shut. She watched the miniscule movements of his hands as he directed the chair, one hand moved a joystick; the other pushed buttons that lowered him once he was directly in front of her. He lowered himself enough to step out, a bright smile on his face the entire time. She raised an eyebrow and continued to gap at the odd contraption in front of her. The thing was spacious and she judged the distance wide enough to cross her legs and have enough room left over. The armrests and controls were spacious enough for comfortable movement. Cushions on the bottom, back, armrests, and sides kept any possible injury down. Metal poles connected near the bottom edges of the seat, a flat metal space big enough to be called a footrest. Solar panels on both sides of the machine were obviously the power source. As odd and high tech as it looked...it looked like a supped up WHEELCHAIR._

_Noting an extremely familiar shade of blue, she turned to Duo's awaiting figure and blankly stared at him. A boyish, tentative grin took the place of the bright exuberant one and she was mildly shocked. This was a rare time to see Duo uncertain and unsure. Both hands were clasped behind his back as his braid swayed while he rocked on his heels. An UTTERLY adorable picture and she had to fight not to smile. "Nice color." She hinted with a smile, thinking that he looked SSOOO cute._

_He kneeled so she wouldn't have to look up so far and met her gaze. "Yea...I wanted it to match your eyes." He softly muttered, a compassionate, but discomfited smile on his face. Tears came to her eyes at such a romantic gesture and heat crawled up her face at his insinuation. Was that a compliment of some kind? Duo felt EXTREMELY embarrassed by telling Hilde such an intimate detail, but he saw the pleased look in her eyes. He also noted the blush that spread up her cheeks, nose, and forehead and didn't regret saying it. He found it cute when she blushed that and he was able to crack her tough soldier façade. He wanted to say something else, but figured he'd give her a break for now. There was PLENTY of time to embarrass and compliment her later. Swallowing thickly, he looked away for a second to gather his courage, then lovingly back at Hilde's eyes. "So...do...you LIKE it?" He timidly asked._

_Hilde broke his gaze and stared at the chair. She gained a faraway look as she studied it, and he fought the urge to fidget. He HOPED she liked it, he MADE it especially for HER! A LOT of time and planning went into the design and trying to find the right parts. Constructing some he KNEW didn't exist was a challenge, too. Trying to find an ample power supply was easy, but trying to put the solar panels in a place that would capture extremely small amounts of light WASN'T. He thought the machine was too loud, but that was just HIM. It was a LOT better than some fans he came across while making it. He wanted the wheelchair as quiet as possible so if Hilde fell asleep in it, it wouldn't wake her. Finding a battery that would STORE the solar energy during night was another hard part. The less she got out of that chair, the easier it would be on his NERVES. He ALREADY worried over her day and night, over what she could possibly injure by doing what. It was like caring for a child you desperately wanted to keep from harm and childproof the house._

_Hilde felt Duo expectantly watching her and jerked her eyes back to him. His uneasiness was apparent and she affectionately smiled. Reaching a hand up, she good-naturedly flicked his nose. "I utterly LOVE it Duo." She said softly. His jovial grin broke out and she reached down to hug him, contrite for snapping at him earlier. Who KNEW...certainly not HER. But he knew of her occasional short fuse, so he knew what to expect. Suddenly, she was in the air, in Duo's arms._

_"Come on, I'll show you how it works." He said, eager to show off her new 'toy'. She smiled after carefully being put into her new chair. She watched with interested eyes, marveling that he MADE her an electronic wheelchair she could move around on her own in. No more being pushed through the house or forced to sit in one spot and not be able to do anything without facing consequences. This was freedom on SOME level... She fought tears through a touched smile. No one EVER did ANYTHING like this for her and it warmed her heart incredibly. Her full attention turned back to him as he showed her all the gadgets on the arm of the chair. When he briefly looked at her, to make sure she was paying attention no doubt, she became aware of the extreme closeness of their faces. Both of their eyes locked and neither could break the pole of intensity. Somewhere in the back of her mind was telling her she SHOULD move. But the majority of her mind squashed that urge to an unrecognizable pulp. Duo's eyes intensely flickered across her face and it was consciously heating up her face._

_"Duo?" She almost inaudibly whispered, confused and a little uncertain at this turn of events. His hand softly brushed against her cheek, as if bringing them further into the trance. Involuntarily, her eyes closed, her head tilting towards his hand...not meaning to do so that renounced, but not regretting she did so._

_"Hilde." She peeked through slits at the guttural sound in his voice. The intense amount of emotion almost scared her. Every bit of his features was serious, and it was directed solely on HER. Shivers crawled up her spine. His face moved closer as his eyes fluttered shut, hers following suit. The uncertain wavering of his lips touched hers and hers quivered in response at the unplanned, but not UNWANTED, action. Her hands moved on their own violation up to his neck, to subconsciously bring him even closer._

_The second his lips touched hers, he felt the utter bliss and contentment. But he also felt the instability of them and that was what caused him to pull back. Or maybe it was HIS mouth that was shaking from such an adrenaline rush and bundled nerves. "Hilde?" He breathed, voice shaky. It was a question of perplexity and hesitation. His mind reeled from the kiss, even though feather light and brief. The chivalrous side of him wondered if she WANTED to do that. The look in her eyes COULDN'T have steered him wrong. He became acutely aware of her arms around his shoulders and wondered when THAT happened. 'Maybe she wasn't ready.' He awkwardly thought. His gaze guiltily lowered. 'I pushed her.' Kept repeating through his mind. There was nothing worse than self-doubt after a first kiss with someone you liked and no one said anything to break the tension. Since that seemed to be the case, an apology was warranted. Perhaps even DEMANDED._

_"I'm sorry Hilde, I didn't mean to push you I-" He stopped rambling soft apologies when he felt a brush from his neck slowly move forward. It crept from his shoulders, up the back of his neck, across his jaw line, and stopped at his chin. His entire head was tingling at what she'd just done. His vision blurred as he looked in her eyes, the blood roaring in his ears, heart beating wildly. The adrenaline in his body rivaled any battle rush he experienced in the war! The sadness in his heart changed to relief when he saw the passion burning in those beautiful eyes. Her hands gripped his chin and pulled, wanting to go back to that passion. Quickly complying, his mouth eagerly pressed against hers as they let out all the bottled emotions and sexual tension that was only dimmed by their flirting. Her arms snaked around his neck again and held him tight until both pulled away, gasping for breath. _

_He couldn't get the idiot grin off his face. It was brighter than the artificial sun shining down on them, and held all the happiness in his heart. 'That was better than my DREAMS.' He realized. Since they openly started flirting, he always thought about kissing Hilde, but didn't want to push if she didn't want to kiss him BACK. Relieving a curiosity, and brewing want turning to need, wasn't as important as the fact that if she DIDN'T want to kiss him, she'd pull away. To have Hilde pull away from him with such an intimate action would deeply hurt him and bring awkwardness to their friendship. So it became a secret passionate fantasy of his that he lived in almost everyday. But finally, fantasy became reality. Leaning his forehead against Hilde's, he let the silence loom over them._

_Hilde was trying to control her breathing to get her heart rate under control. Her lungs heaved to get in a good amount of air, which was not good with her current condition. Yes, it'd been a month already since she was injured and fate wove such an interesting future for her, but she wasn't allowed to exercise to strengthen her body. Not to mention, she wasn't used for the rush and emotions that assailed her with such a simple action. Her adrenaline rushed throughout her body, and it dumbed down the pain a little. And the feelings that coursed through her from the kiss far surpassed any pain she could possibly feel. Her eyes closed when his forehead rested against hers, still trying to take deep breaths to calm down. She hadn't expected his kiss, but she knew it was something he wanted to do...and something SHE wanted to do as well. Cracking an eye open, a large smile resided on Duo's face and her heart swelled at his happiness. For once, she made him genuinely smile without WORRYING about her._

_His wise guy nature peeked out as the silence began to bug him. "That's a HELL of a THANK YOU." He softly murmured. "I should do something like this more OFTEN for you." She broke out into a giggle fit and his forehead pulled away to get a good look at her. He watched with amusement while a blush lit up her face as she smiled and bit her lip. He smiled at the adorable picture she made and leaned down to kiss her again, unable to contain himself. His entire heart expanded and he relished in the fact that he could now kiss her openly and claim her lips as his own, that she would kiss him with the same intensity and not reject him. A moment later, he halfheartedly pulled away to finish showing her the gadgets, feeling lighter than he EVER felt._

She resisted the urge to giggle and squeal like a little girl. Her fingers brushed against her lips again, sighing contently. Looking back at the pot, she turned the stove off and let it sit to cool a bit. Expertly maneuvering the joystick, she elevated in the air enough to get over the table and chairs and out the back door. Pushing the it open with the chair, she moved into the sun and listened to the sounds of the neighborhood. "DUO!" She shouted, still smiling. A clang and a loud curse shortly followed. She snickered and propped her head up. "HEY DUO!" She called out again, trying to get his attention, and contain her laughter at the same time.

'I know what WILL.' She thought, smirking.

"DINNERTIME!" Half a minute later, he stalked out from behind a pile of trash with an overworked, frustrated look on his face. When his eyes raised and met hers, it melted to only happiness as he stared at her and the chair he so lovingly built for her. She warily eyed the grease on his coveralls, hands, and face, mildly surprised it wasn't in his HAIR. But this was DUO here, with hair THAT hard to maintain, he was going to take VERY GOOD care of it! She knew without a doubt he was going to kiss her like he always did, because he could; not that she minded ONE bit. When he was nearly five foot from her and closing, she piped up. "You are going STRAIGHT for the bathroom to clean up before you touch me OR dinner Duo Maxwell." She commanded, in a voice that left no room for argument.

Stopping in front of her, he raised an eyebrow at her. She ALWAYS said that though. He looked down at the grease dotting the palms and back of his hands. 'What's she WORRIED about?' He wondered. He looked back at Hilde's clean face and hands, and knew THAT was the reason she didn't want to touch him was to KEEP clean.

"WHAT?" He asked good-humored. When she pointedly stared at him, his hands rose as if in sight of the barrel of a gun. He took note of her gaze nearly level with his, and gauged the time and distance he could decimate to sneak a quick kiss in before she tracked him down and yanked on his braid like last time. But it wasn't as hard as when she did in the past, because he knew she didn't mind one damned bit...even if he WAS covered in grease. He moved closer to her chair and stood there silently, biding his time.

She sighed and shook her head. Now in his head a little more, she didn't know if she WANTED to know this much about him. He was a little devil; he lived up to his NAME. "I KNOW you want to kiss me and you intend to do so, so you might as well get it over with so I can go clean my face." She announced.

He smirked and briefly leaned down to capture her lips with his. Leaning back, yet close enough, he deliberately brought his hand to her face and dragged his thumb lightly across her chin, leaving a swath of grease. Leaning back, he walked past her and through the back door. "NOW I'll go clean up." He merrily announced. "And I'll get that pot off the stove for you too." The hum of her chair sounded behind him as she followed him in to clean her face as well.

Her head inanely shook and a hand touched her face to find out WHERE he touched her so she could clean up easier. Although the chair was relatively small and maneuverable, it was no match for the narrow bathroom door. It was the only place a mirror inhabited. "Do you want me to HURT you?" She lightly threatened.

He stopped in the kitchen doorway and grinned. "Oh PLEEAAASSE DO!" She looked at him wide-eyed and blushed lightly. His grin turned evil as he walked toward the chair again. "Hurt me baby." He purred, leaning in on his arms. Her cheeks reddened even more at such a lewd insinuation and she nervously looked at the controller on her chair. That was the first time their play turned more bawdy than normal. His dirty hands traveled up to her chin and forced her to look at him. Violet eyes burned passionately as he looked at her. Butterflies flittered in her stomach as her veins handed out adrenaline in large doses. "Any ideas?" Her mouth gaped open, but nothing came out. He smiled softly, eyes going to her lips. "Mind if **I **think of a few?" He leaned down and hungrily kissed her. Her arms snaked up his chest to his neck, trying to pull him closer. He pulled back and kissed her lightly a few times. "How about that?" He stepped away, seeing her automatic pout when he kept out of reach. A hand shielded his eyes. "No, NOT fair!" He merrily shouted, pretending she was torturing him with that look. In a way, she WAS. Those puppy dog eyes of hers were enough to get him to cave and give her anything she WANTED.

She hadn't realized she WAS pouting, but touched a hand to her swollen lips with a grin. "But DUUOOOOO!" She slightly whined. His fingers parted as he looked at her through them. She evilly grinned and waved a slender finger at him, beckoning him over. He raised a brow and wolfishly smiled at her, sauntering over. She leaned on the side of her chair as she looked at him. He leaned to kiss her, but she quickly pulled back.

"Hey!" She reached up and gave his braid a good yank. "OW! What was THAT for?" He gave her the puppy dog look, fingering the crown of his head.

"For torturing ME." She patted his head and then grabbed his chin, giving him a searing kiss. His arms wrapped around her back, wishing he could hold her without any restrictions. But he promised himself she would STAY in that chair until doctor's orders said she could walk on her own, and it would REMAIN that way. He didn't want her overexerting herself as much as possible. Heaving lungs directly under her wound was bound to be painful. She almost punctured one. As her tongue danced around his, she tantalized his senses and blanked his mind. His hands moved slowly, comfortingly as she continued to kiss him. Her mind just realized how long they were doing this and WHY she dragged him from work in the FIRST place. She pulled back, trying to breathe. "Duo...supper. GO." She ordered breathy. She waved him away before she lost her resolve to not kiss him again. His lips were addictive! Her chin rested on a hand as she watched him walk away, mostly in one specific area. She sighed contentedly. Yep, Duo was SOME work of art. She wasn't sure of WHAT, but physically she considered him close to a god. Even if he was the god of DEATH, he was still a GOD. And all HERS.

Her lips pressed together to keep from stupidly giggling. Hands moving to the controls, she followed him in, knowing he'd need help with dinner. But ever since she taught him how to cook, he put the dishes down in the necessary spots and ran water in the pots she used. She was 'allowed' to do the dishes for exercise, but the utensils and glasses ONLY, nothing too heavy or concerning. She saw Duo do the dishes a few times, making sure they were scrubbed entirely, instead of haphazardly. He ACTUALLY did a good enough job and THAT surprised her. She teased him a few times that when she was well maybe he SHOULD do the books and housework while SHE did the grunt work. That ended with a protective lecture on keeping her from harm until she shut him up by kissing him. She smiled as she waited to dig in, feeling extremely normal as he set the table, despite the fact that she sat in an EXTREMELY original wheelchair.


	6. Chapter 6

Tying the last lace on her running shoes, she placed both palms on the floor and pushed off to stand up. Flexing her feet, she nodded in satisfaction that the laces weren't too tight or loose. Walking over to open the door, she left the bedroom, not bothering to turn the light off since she dressed in the dark. Skillfully making her way down the hallway she knew so well, she smiled as she stopped in front of Duo's door. It was dark outside, maybe six, yet she was fully awake. A few days ago, she talked Duo into going out for morning walks to get her legs back into some semblance of working order. Another week passed from being stuck in that infernal contraption and she wanted OUT. Yet, when he agreed, she bet he didn't plan on BEFORE sunrise. Hilde smirked. She wanted these mornings to be romantic between the two...going for a walk and watching the sunrise didn't get any better than THAT. Feeling even more awake from excitement bubbling in her veins, she reached a fist up and knocked on his door, the sound loudly carrying. Nothing stirred inside, just like she figured. She honestly didn't expect him to be up so early, since he always liked his sleep. Teeth nibbled her lip to keep from laughing. Yes, she knew Duo, and she knew him WELL. Knocking again, she only waited momentarily before reaching for the door handle.

Slowly opening the door, she peeked in and took a look at his alarm. Her lips pressed together when she saw the time. It was a few minutes past when he was SUPPOSED to get up, and she knew once again he hit the snooze. Quietly opening the door the rest of the way, she tiptoed into his room. The sight of Duo sleeping so peaceful made her heart melt and she gave in to the urge to watch him. Stopping next to him at his bed, she kneeled down face to face. Resisting the urge to prop her elbows on the edge of the bed and openly stare, her weight remained on her haunches as her eyes roamed his body. Sleeping in just boxers and nothing else, the sheet rested loosely over his waist, yet haphazardly strewn at best. Duo was known, on occasion, to be an avid sleeper. His chest rose and fell with each deep breath he took, adorably lying on his side toward her. Oh, how she wished she could watch the sun rise on his face, seeing him sleep the entire time. Her eyes and thoughts turned dreamy just thinking about it. Her fingers itched to run along the curve of his shoulder and down to his waist, but her hands purposely fisted to still the action.

"Not polite to stare." He throatily mumbled. One violet eye BARELY peeked open.

She jumped in surprise, than smiled when she realized he was awake. "Why NOT? I have every REASON to. Besides, you were supposed to be UP." She softly chided. "Our WALK, remember?"

"Go away and come back later." He mumbled, turning on his stomach and burying the pillow over his head, clutching it with both hands. He damn well KNEW he was supposed to be up by the number of times his alarm kept going off, but slapped the snooze to catch five more minutes every time. Damn Hilde for her puppy dog eyes and kissable lips. He couldn't very well say NO when she made faces like that!!

Leaning forward to her knees at his prominent ignorant attitude, hands rested on her hips, fighting impatience. Duo basically PROMISED, what she'd weaseled OUT of him anyway, that he'd go with her on a walk...mostly because he didn't want her going out ALONE. "Duo Maxwell, you get your cute ass out of bed and WALK with me. Unless you want me to go by MYSELF again... I know how PISSED you were when I left WITHOUT you."

His protective side flared. A few days ago, she kept telling him to hurry up and when he went to grab something to drink from the kitchen, she told him to catch up and left him behind. He immediately ran out to catch her and almost tied her to a chair to keep her from leaving without him. It took a promise nearly every time for her to wait two MINUTES so he could grab some water for later. Having said his peace, his mind registered the threat she sent him. Cute ass, ne? She thought he had a cute ass? If he wasn't so tired, he would've made a smart-ass comment to her. Instead, he growled from tiredness and intolerance of being woken up so early every morning. "You'll stay put, if you know what's GOOD for you. We'll GO together, but when the sun is UP." It came out muffled from under the pillow, but held the edge of promise and gravity to its tone. 

Resigned, her head shook, knowing she'd have to wake him up like she a few days ago. An evil grin sprouted over her face. She LIKED having to torture him awake and THESE were the days she CHERISHED. It made everything that much more FUN in her opinion! Leaning forward to her previous position, a hand slowly snaked out, quietly, over the top of his spine. Pointing her fingers down, she held the rest of her hand out of the way to keep from alerting him. Moving to the starting position at the top of his shoulders, her skin pressed against his and reveled in the amount of heat he produced. Drawing a line across his shoulder blades, her eyes remained half on her work and half on the pillow to see if he would unexpectedly wake up. Stopping in the center, she moved down the middle of his spine, using only her fingernails this time. She smiled when his skin goosebumped as he shivered from her touch. Slowly, she made her way down his back till she hit the hollow of it. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips when she was a mere inch away from his boxers. Her fingers drew a light, lazy circle at the edge and she heard a tired, pleasurable groan under the pillow and felt another shiver. She was making it EXTREMELY hard for him to go back to sleep, and she KNEW it. She was also VERY aware that she was turning him on, but she didn't care. He WOULD get up, and they WOULD go on their walk if she had to do this ALL DAY. The thought seemed inviting, even WITHOUT the punishment behind the reason! But, business before pleasure.

Duo's hands clenched the pillow for what seemed the millionth time since she began her torture. She was making his skin burn where she touched him and making him shiver at the same time. Goosebumps would NOT leave his skin and he was aware of what she was doing to him. Thank GOD he was on his stomach! BESIDES turning him on, she was trying to wake him up, a task that was going to cause her more problems if he DID. He was going to take retribution for her playing her little devil tricks with his mind... His eyes squeezed shut to steer clear of those dirty wayward thoughts. He IMMENSELY liked what she was doing to him; she was creating feelings he didn't know even EXISTED.

When her fingers circled directly over his boxers, his teeth clenched to keep from laughing at her ticklish touch. Then she suddenly stopped, quickly delved her fingers in between the elastic and his skin. His eyes shot open under the pillow. 'What's she-' The elastic pulled up and released a second later, loudly snapping his boxers. He yelped in surprise and the pillow shot off his tousled hair. Quickly turning around, wide eyes stared into Hilde's. She blinked and innocently looked at him, trying to keep a smile off her face. 'Innocent my ASS!' He thought. His hands shot out and he grabbed both her arms, bringing her closer in a searing kiss. When he pulled back, a dreamy look was on her face and, with a groan, realized he was awake and she tricked him to sit up. 'But what a way to wake up!' He realized and evilly smiled.

She started to smile, which developed into a full-blown giggle. "Good morning lazy ass." She commented, grabbing his pillow before he could go back to sleep. Tossing it onto the other side of his room, she backed away from his reach, knowing he would go back to kissing her in his OWN little torture. Standing up, hands rested on her hips. "Now get UP!" She playfully shouted, widely smirking.

Duo flopped back onto the bed and spread both arms at his sides with a moan. Seeing some clothes on top of a dresser, Hilde walked over and grabbed them. Walking back to his bed, she tossed them to him and they landed directly on his stomach with a thud and rush of air from his mouth. Then, without a word, she walked to the door and left so he could get dressed. He sighed, still staring at the ceiling. He spotted a few shadows, signaling dusk arrived. Knowing if he didn't get his lethargic ass out of bed EXTREMELY soon, Hilde was going to come back in and chew him out again. Raising an arm over his body, he grabbed the clothes off his stomach and slowly sat up. He blinked a few times and rubbed a hand through his messy braid, bringing it over his face to wake up. The other grabbed the tail and undid the elastic band. Getting off the bed, he grabbed a brush and undid his long hair. Quickly running it through, he skillfully rebraided it and went to his bed to get dressed, now a LITTLE more presentable, if not more AWAKE. Opening the door a minute later, he nearly stumbled to the front door, spotting Hilde leaning against it with a foot propped up against the wall. Both arms crossed over her chest and one finger rhythmically tapped over her upper arm.

Looking his way, she pushed off the door. "Finally." Turning, she opened it and walked through, leaving it open for him. His head shook with a tired smile and walked through the door, locking it before jogging to catch up with her at the end of the walk. Never get in the way of a rambunctious Hilde Schebeiker; he should've learned that a LONG time ago.

~*~*~

The pair walked half a mile and stopped at a park to sit and rest. Both reclined and he laid an arm across the back of the bench as they watched the sun rise. The silence pertained for a while, save for the chirping of a few birds and the sounds of squirrels moving about in the trees. Hilde felt content; there was no better word for it. "It sure is beautiful." She said, voicing something she marveled over in her head for a while. "For artificial sun anyway." She added with a tilt of her head. Feeling his eyes on her, she smiled softly, self-consciously.

"It sure is." He softly responded, but she knew very well he wasn't talking about the sun. Turning his way, his hand reached up and slowly trailed across her cheek, enjoying the feel of her skin. She scooted closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. Moments later, she felt his arm around her.

He heard Hilde's deep, even breaths as they relaxed and his eyes followed a pair of kids aimlessly running around from one piece of equipment to the next. 'This is perfect.' He thought. 'To only be like this for the rest of my life. No war, no nothing; just peace.' He mentally sighed. 'This entire time with Hilde has been nice. I can't believe how much things have changed. If I were in the war, fighting with Deathsycthe right now, I would've MISSED all this. If there IS a god, I thank you for allowing a temporary halt in the madness. I can live life for a while.' His thoughts strayed back to the first time he met Hilde during the war. Although he was tired of it already, he had to give it SOME credit; he met a woman whom he admired like no other. He thought about all their adventures and how far they just recently came. He smiled slightly. He never thought Shinigami would ever be capable of love. 'LOVE?' He thought, stunned at the sudden thought. The word seemed foreign to him; all he knew was death and revenge for the fallen. Hilde's face floated through his mind and he knew it was true. She held his entire heart in the palm of her hand, taken a little at a time. Though neither of them knew it, she still took it. They'd been through so much together and he couldn't imagine life without her. He thought back to the night it all changed. How she almost died because of HIM and his carelessness. He came so close to loosing her... He shivered, feelings in his mind and heart overpowering him.

Pulling back from the embrace as if sensing something wrong, Hilde looked at him in confusion. "Duo?" She asked, wondering why he pulled away. Perhaps it was time to go back and make breakfast. A hand went under her chin as he felt the softness of her skin. Leaning his head down, he kissed her in desperation, to make sure she was still real. To reassure him that his carelessness had not cost him the one he loved most in the world. Yes, it was true, Hilde WAS the only one that meant the most to him. The only other one that came a close second was Deathsycthe. When he stopped the kiss, she pulled back and looked into his eyes. The kiss was different than normal and she saw some frightening emotions in those violet depths. "What was that for?" She softly asked, smiling slightly to show him she was jesting. Duo gazed down into her beauty and smiled a little.

"I don't NEED a reason to kiss you, do I?" He quietly asked. His eyes darted across her face, memorizing every detail, even more so than was already etched in his mind. She smiled somewhat and it dulled the rising pain in his chest. His hands were stained with the blood of so many...it was hard to tell if he had any humanity left in him. She was the only one that hadn't left him when things got bad. And she was the only one that ever waited for him. When he returned, she was there, a smile on her face to greet him.

"I guess not." She quietly agreed. Her instincts were throwing up flags the longer she stared into his eyes. She saw that look before on countless numbers of people who were hurt or lost something important to them. It was the look of anguish, of pain. Her weight shifted sideways till she faced him. Still looking him in the eyes, she raised both hands and rested them on his shoulders. "What's wrong Duo?" She asked concerned.

His hands rested against her delicate waist, feeling the strength radiate. He broke contact with her eyes and looked down at the bench. How could he tell her what was going through his head? He often thought like this, mostly in times when he could be alone to deal with these emotions. It would be hard to exactly WHY he felt this way and HOW the instances came about. When he didn't answer after a moment, teeth nibbled her lip in uncertainty. Raising a hand to his chin, in determination for an answer to his problem, she turned his head toward her, leveling his gaze again. She was taken aback from the tears swimming in his violet eyes. She had only seen Duo cry once in her entire lifetime, but that was for a different reason. He WASN'T going to ignore her anymore. Everything was fine now, what could be the problem? Her hand rose to caress his cheek, trying to draw his pain away so she could take it instead. She didn't want to see anything but HAPPINESS in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" She whispered, almost inaudibly, unable to voice anything higher. This unknown, unseen pain was eating at her. His eyes gained a serious tone, directed at her. Thinking he didn't hear her, or understand what she said, her mouth opened to repeat herself, louder so he could hear her. His hands gripped her waist tighter in guilt and the tears in his eyes overflowed, one running down his cheek. He couldn't get the words out without breaking down, or choking through halfway. He wanted to tell her, but just stared at her. It was like his mouth refused to obey his brain. He felt she deserved an explanation, to know why he acted this way, but couldn't find the words. Her eyes shone out of worry. He closed up for some odd reason and wasn't telling her. WHY wouldn't he tell her what was wrong so she could fix it? Feeling severe protection encompass worry, she leaned forward and kissed the tear that stopped near his lips, as if trying to kiss away his pain. "Why are you crying Duo?" She asked, blinking at her tears.

Duo's arms went around her waist, drawing her near to steady his frenetic emotions. Hilde's eyes still shone and he cursed himself for making her worry. He never WANTED to see her cry when she looked at him for any reason other than happiness. But simply being unable to talk about a problem that plagued him for so long, perhaps since before the war into his childhood, was the cause of so many problems. Carefully locking his arms around her, his face buried in her shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his neck, one hand softly running through his hair to hopefully help relax him. A tear of apprehension fell from her eye in not understanding. She couldn't figure out what was WRONG and she didn't know what to DO. She didn't want to yell at him, since it seemed tempting to open him up. He ALWAYS took the bait in a skirmish, but she knew that it wasn't the way to go about solving this problem. She felt worry and trepidation build in her chest, but also the need to protect and nurture him, to make him feel better. Since she didn't know what the problem was, all she did was hold him and be held. He knew she'd listen to him whenever he wanted to get something off his chest, she hoped he would do so before too much longer. Whatever was going on in his mind was making him cry; something he RARELY did.

The darkness had always been a friend and now it was a lifeline. Having gotten his emotions under control from the raging storm, he took a breath and exhaled to stay calm so he could speak. Raising his chin to rest on her shoulder, he managed a rough whisper, at least glad for that. "I just don't want you to leave me."

Her arms tightened, her hand still stroking his hair comfortingly. "Why would you think I'd EVER leave you Duo?" She emotionally whispered.

His jaw clenched in trepidation. He didn't want to anger her right now with his thoughts. In the past he told her those same thoughts and she was irritated with him for being concerned when she was obviously 'okay'. It always plagued him because HE caused her to be in the hospital initially, and NO amount of physical health was going to take that much guilt away. But she wanted to know what was wrong and he had to take the chance. "I was thinking about how far we've come since we first met, and how you changed my emotions. I realized one thing about that night I hurt you." She stiffened, knowing what he was talking about. He waited for her to say something, but she gradually relaxed in the embrace. "When you went into cardiac arrest that night, I actually thought about life you. It scared and intensely depressed me. I don't WANT to live without you Hilde." He whispered. He pulled away from the hold enough to match his lips parallel with her ear. "I could NEVER imagine living life without the one you love."

She gasped, and different tears fell from her eyes. Tears of joy and delight of hearing the words she so longed to hear him utter for a long time since he first kissed her. She sniffled and her heart burst with all sorts of emotions, most of them toward Duo. She pulled back, smiling happily through her tears and stared into his eyes. They were a storm of emotions that shone with the light of the rising sun. She didn't know if she could find her voice, but the moment was magical and she wanted to add to it. A hand came up to his chin to cup it as she stared into his eyes.

"I love you very much as well Duo, and I would NEVER leave you...because I wouldn't make it through a day without your love." He sheepishly smiled and she continued through her joy. "I'm glad you said that because I've wanted to hear those words for so long; since we kissed for the first time. I always imagined, DREAMED, that you'd say that to me someday soon." Her head quickly ducked before looking back. "I'm glad I met you all those years ago the way I had. I don't regret a single thing I've done since we met because as long as we were together, or I what I was doing concerned YOU, it didn't matter. I was happy whenever I was with you." Her other hand went to his face, stroking his cheek softly. "I always felt something ever since I first laid eyes on you, but I never knew if you felt anything toward ME. So I kept my heart to myself, but I'm glad I don't have to hide it any longer."

Duo felt his heart burst through tears, his happiness and elation knew no bounds. His heart held more love for Hilde than the universe had stars. She smiled and he thought how beautiful she was, and how beautiful those three little words were. He always thought that saying 'those three little words' did so LITTLE. But he knew he was GROSSLY wrong and couldn't express how he felt other than saying 'I love you'. His hand moved up her back and melted into her hair, pulling her lips toward his in a passionate kiss that flew with ardor. They let out all their feelings toward each other in that kiss, and realized just how much they needed each other. They pulled away simultaneously and saw the sun rose quite a bit since their devoted confessions. He looked at it and then her, noticing how the sun highlighted her hair, how it glistened off her tear tracks, and put sparks of light in her eyes. He felt so proud that SHE loved HIM; words didn't even DESCRIBE how he felt. Jumping up with a bright smile, his hand extended to her. He pulled her to him again, kissing her deeply, then her eyes and nose, kissing away her tears and wiping the remainder away. He let her do the same and entwined their fingers, swinging their arms in a childlike carefree as they made their way home.

Finally back at the house, the two walked inside, feeling a change in the atmosphere. "I'm going to catch a shower real quick before we leave." She informed, walking off to her room. After shutting the door, she looked in the mirror, hardly recognizing the smile that lit her face and eyes; yet knew it was her. It was the person she WISHED to be with Duo at her side...happy. Turning away from the mirror, she turned the shower on and stepped to the far end. Grabbing the shampoo, she remembered the numerous instructions and cautions by her doctor. It boggled her mind just HOW careful she had to be. Though necessary, it was also ANNOYING.

_"When you shower, don't turn the water on too hot. Make it lukewarm, because your blood pressure will rise and your skin will also dry out, creating a rash. Don't put your scar directly under the water because the pressure could put undue stress on it. No perfumed or antibacterial soaps, the chemicals in those things could get under your skin and irritate it even more. When you dry off, don't run a towel across your wound; the fabric could get caught under your stitches. Either air dry or CAREFULLY dab at it. Use only a soft soap, and SPARINGLY. Don't get any shampoo or conditioner on the wound, I don't want to take a chance with the chemicals in whatever you use."_

Her eyes rolled as she stepped out. She sighed at how restricted a simple shower was, but when she looked down at the discolored skin and blue thread nearly over her heart, she knew it was vital to her health and eventually her LIFE. She wiped her legs down and continued to idly ramble the rest of the 'care instructions' in her head and wrapped a towel around her head, getting ready.

_"When you go to wrap your wound up, make sure you put enough medication on it, but don't use too much that it won't allow the wound to breath. Use good-sized gauze, enough to cover, but not enough to make yourself uncomfortable. Tape the edges so it stays and you don't have to worry about lint or dirt getting through. When you wrap the bandages over the gauze, make sure it's loose enough to allow breathing room, but tight enough so they don't fall off."_

Carefully shaking her head so the towel wouldn't unravel at such apparent necessaries, she gently wrapped the other around her chest and grabbed the edges so it wouldn't move. Of course, Duo was there, listening intently and taking it all in so she wouldn't be able to FORGET any of it. Cracking the door, she peeked both ways before turning the light off and rocketing the short distance down the hall to her room, loudly closing the door behind her, not taking ANY more chances this time.

Duo heard the door slam and knew Hilde was in her room. Turning his attention back to the tv, he hardly watched it, still reeling from their earlier conversation in the park. He aimlessly flipped the channels with a dreamy smile about the road his life had taken. He and Hilde were living together and they both loved each other, he was hiding out from the war and no one knew he was here...things couldn't get any better. He looked at his watch and knew it normally took her a while to get her bandages wrapped, so he could wait a little bit before he asked what the hold up was. It took a little bit to get around such a horrible wound, trying to keep the pain down and such. A memory popped into his head and he grinned devilishly at it. He was there that day when the doctor was giving out his strict orders about Hilde's wound and he was there every check up to make sure she was taking care of it. A small snicker bubbled through his throat and out his mouth. He bit his lip to keep her from hearing. He knew that she was taking care of it...and WELL. Among a few OTHER things on her person...

_Flipping through the channels in a bored fashion, he waited for Hilde to get done with her routine shower after their walk. He sighed. His attention span was shorter than normal and he thought he'd take them out for lunch for a change of pace. Pushing off the couch, he ambled his way around furniture and toward the bathroom door. "HEY HILDE!" He yelled. The water shut off and a minute later the door silently opened. Her upper body jerked through the doorway and she inquisitively looked at him. Opening his mouth to announce his intention for interrupting her shower, he froze, stunned. His eyes drifted to the towel that unraveled from her chest. She was instructed not to wrap it too tightly, or to tuck the end of the towel over her wound. ANY loose-knit fabric like that wouldn't be allowed or tolerated by her doctor. Both arms juggled the clothes she wore earlier around her diaphragm, now covered with the top of the towel that apparently wasn't held on good enough. She looked down in confusion and squeaked in shock seconds later. Not caring about pain, only her embarrassment, she jerked the clothes up to cover her chest before jolting her petite figure to her room, slamming it behind her and his stunned presence. After ten seconds of silence finally reached his ears, he regained control of his limbs and somehow managed to get back to the living room, taking the controls again...idly flipping through stations again._

Duo chuckled. 'Yea, she's been taking GOOD care of it.' He saw THAT first hand. He also saw the beautiful curve of her breasts, glistening with beaded water from her shower, her wet skin shining in the light. His head quickly shook to ward off THOSE thoughts. He didn't want them interfering with his body and causing reactions before they went to the doctor's office. If he let his mind wander, he would never be able to stop thinking about her body. He thought about what he saw that night in the ambulance and he wistfully smiled at the vision of her small body. She was nearly his height, for their age, but her figure was extremely slim...and well balanced. He bit his lip and lightly slapped his cheeks, telling himself to snap out of it.

He turned off the tv and in wonder at what was keeping her. He checked his watch again and got his answer. A loud curse followed by a venomous shout sounded throughout the quiet house, nearly making him jump out of his skin! "DUO, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE **NOW**!" An eyebrow shot up at the volume. Curiously, he slowly went to the hallway to her room, wondering just WHAT was going ON.

~*~*~

Sighing, she knew it was hopeless. She hated to ask for help with something she'd been doing for weeks, but this was INFURIATING. Wrapping the towel tighter around her waist to keep SOME of her vanity, she told herself it was the only way to get to the doctor's office on time. When she got in her room, she saw they took longer on their walk than normal...for OBVIOUS reasons. She overextended the shower, which was subconsciously making her hurry to wrap her bandages. The medicine was applied and gauze in place, but she was trying to wrap the dressing too quickly and it wasn't coming out the way she wanted. She was quickly becoming frustrated to the point of wanting to take scissors to the damn cloth! So she did the only thing left she knew to do, she yelled for Duo. Waiting for him to come in was agony. She tried to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest and against the wound, but couldn't stop the adrenaline rushing through every pore in her body. Head to toe, she was anxious and slightly afraid because Duo NEVER saw her THIS exposed, save for that one time a few days ago... Her cheeks burned in memory. She SAW the shock in his eyes, but also saw pleasure and was glad he at least LIKED what he saw. When she heard a soft knock on her door, her head quickly shook to rid herself of THOSE thoughts. "Yea." She said loudly, bidding him entrance.

Duo didn't know what he expected, but he was MORE than shocked when he saw Hilde sitting with her back facing him and her lower waist wrapped tightly around the towel from her shower. His palms started to shake and a cold sweat broke out. Taking a deep breath to calm down, it didn't seem to be working. He couldn't even FATHOM he POSSESSED this much adrenaline! He was MORE than flabbergasted to see she hadn't even put any CLOTHES on yet. He stopped with his foot in the doorway and stared at her bare back with his mouth wide open. When the initial shock wore off, he thought of all the evil possibilities that could come out of this situation and shook those off. Thinking of her injury helped to ease his hormones down a notch.

She gave an impatient sigh and carefully turned her head toward him, arms still protectively hunched over the sides of her body. "I need your help because I tried to hurry and I'm starting to get pissed off at these bandages." He snapped out of his reverie and slowly edged over till he sat behind her. Her arms were positioned just so and her shoulders hunched over enough so he couldn't see anything, which he thought was to his BENEFIT right now. If he saw anything he might lose control and they'd NEVER get to the doctor's office. Ahh...the life of a teenage boy with overactive hormones... Oh, the AGONY! "I already put medicine and gauze over the wound, but I'm in too much of a hurry with what little time we have. It'll go quicker if four hands are working instead of two." He quickly and harshly chided himself for the gutter trail his mind took when she spoke that sentence. She was only asking for pure, innocent help here, no hidden messages about it. Slowly giving him the roll of cotton, the two worked diligently and quickly to make her halfway decent.

Feeling the cloth over her upper torso, she was greatly relieved to be somewhat covered. 'The quicker the better!' She thankfully thought. The closeness of him behind her and the way his fingers brushed against her trembling hands when he passed the strip was playing hell with her equilibrium! She grabbed the clip for the roll and secured the tail end in place satisfactorily. Nodding in fulfillment, her head turned to him a bit and smiled her thanks. She immediately caught the fire in his eyes as they roamed her delicate figure and felt a heat from a pit below her stomach. Her skin started to goosebump and the exotic urge to have him touch her in places she knew were always off limit before rose at a frightening pace.

His eyes raised to hers, picking out the need and want in them, equal to what he felt in his own body. 'Which is rational.' He reasoned, trying to placate the sudden state of his hormones. 'We're two young teenagers in love, doesn't get anymore reasonable than that.' Oh, how he wanted to touch her. He wanted to caress every inch of her body. His hand slowly rose on its own accord to her shoulder, but it stopped when she turned another fraction and he saw more of her chest, along with what lay between her shapely breasts...the scar he'd given her for their 'playfulness'. His hand stopped and his eyes dropped to the bed, guilt seeping in with a vengeance. He silently berated himself for wanting her when she was still healing. What if something DID happen? She could tear every stitch and end up in the hospital in even WORSE pain than before!

He leaned back and carefully shielded his eyes, feeling his body return to normal at a rapid pace. "You'd better get ready before we're late." He told her, trying to keep his voice even.

Hilde was taken aback when Duo dropped his intense gaze to her bed, then raised two neutral eyes to hers and broke their spell. Frustration brewed when she saw the guilt in his eyes, before his bangs covered them up. She knew from experience that he did that when he was thinking of something in particular...something that he just helped her shield from harm. Her scar. Anger boiled along with the aggravation, and she wondered if he would EVER stop THINKING about her accursed scar! If he felt guilty about it every time they were intimate, then they would NEVER be together how they should be in the hopeful future! When he moved his weight to stand, a hand shot out and grabbed his arm without thinking and looked into his curious eyes, her own on fire with irritation and annoyance. She had enough of placating to these certain emotions; it was OVER a month already! "Duo." He raised an eyebrow. She took a deep breath of courage; blurting this out in the moment of anger was different than calculated speech. The problem was, she was doing both mind frames. "If you feel guilty every time we are this close to each other, are you ever going to touch me?" She knew her anger and annoyance showed through her eyes and question, but she was past caring. She loved Duo and she didn't want to deprive him of the simple pleasure of touching her body whenever he wanted. All because he felt REMORSEFUL. She WANTED him to touch her, to make her feel things she never knew existed. She didn't want his mind straying to a night that wasn't solely HIS FAULT.

Duo saw the resentment in Hilde's eyes and a small bit of anger came to him as well. He knew she was pissed that he couldn't stop blaming himself for that night, but HE caused it and HE would have to deal! He kept TELLING her that. But her question was honest, and in all truth, he didn't WANT to feel guilty about touching her. Lord KNOWS he wanted to more and more recently! The intimacy of her question threw him for a loop. His mouth gaped open and shut without an answer given. "...No." He dumbly muttered, trying to stand again. Distance was the best thing for him before he lost his resolve, but her grip wouldn't let go. He could see the desire in her eyes and the amount of it made his mouth go dry, and his body heat up. Her entire body faced him and the towel that wrapped tightly around her when he entered was loosely hanging together, a slit showing off a good portion of her upper thigh. Roaming her body with his hungry eyes, he wanted to DESPERATELY feel the softness of her entire body under him with a sudden vengeance. But he wanted to wait until her scar was at LEAST healed enough to DO something that physical.

That small give was enough for him to make up his mind. All the unease and uncertainty, the guilt and shame of her accident, finally eased a fraction with a sure decision. He knew he would touch her and give her what she wanted, and what HE wanted, when the time was RIGHT and they could both exert themselves without worry or fretting about petty details. When, and IF, that night ever came, he didn't want to worry about Hilde bleeding from her chest wound. Decisively nodding, partially in thanks, he unwrapped her hand from his arm and finally stood. "I KNOW I'm worrying too much about your accident-" Her brow rose, "-but I want it to heal PROPERLY before anything else HAPPENS between us. I don't want to take that ONE CHANCE that something could go wrong and you end up in the hospital again." Her eyes narrowed a bit and he stepped forward to tap her nose lovingly. "Just remember that I love you and when the time is right, and when you're HEALED, THEN we'll take the next step. I want it to be special for you AND me, and it's worth waiting for. Now get dressed, we're going to be late." Turning around, he walked from her room and closed the door softly behind him. After it clicked shut, he leaned against the door with a quiet sigh. Hearing quiet movement behind him, he strode away. Stopping in his room, he flung himself on his bed and buried his head in his pillow, groaning loudly at what was possibly the BIGGEST, and STUPIDEST mistake of his LIFE. "YOU'RE A COMPLETE **IDIOT** MAXWELL!!!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Come ON Duo, haul ass!" She happily shouted, standing near the front door once again. "We're gonna be late!" She had the wild urge to start pacing with impatience as she waited for him to get dressed and come from his room, but settled on tapping her foot against the ground instead. The door finally creaked open after what seemed forever and she restlessly looked at him. "Bout time slow ass. I do NOT want to be late today!" She eagerly admonished. Duo's head shook with a smile and she grinned in spite of her hasty attitude. Today was the day she was getting her stitches taken out and she wanted to get there a.s.a.p. The blue thread itched like no other and she wasn't allowed to scratch, not like she COULD over the bandages. Not to mention with the light complexion of her skin, such a dark blue stuck out like a sore thumb. The ONLY good merit that color had made it easier to take the thread out. She walked out the door and kept a slow pace so Duo could lock up and catch her. Though she wanted to RUN to the hospital, it was liable he would throw her over his shoulder, even with her wound, if she tried to overexert herself.

~*~*~

When they walked into the all too familiar waiting room, Hilde waved at the nurse she grew to know somewhat and sat down to wait for the doctor. Duo sat on a chair next to her, watching her excited, but nervous reaction. One could tell she was anxious for this visit for a LONG time by the way her fingers went to her chest and pointedly stopped. Hilde wanted those stitches out and NOW. They waited for a few minutes before she softly spoke, something coming to mind. This visit was different than any other and it would take longer. "Do you want to come in this time Duo?" He turned to her, thinking about it. Every time she went to the doctor's to get checked up, he always waited outside or walked around the hospital, giving them their space and privacy. His mouth opened to answer, but was at a loss to provide one. He'd be KIDDING himself and a GROSS liar if he said he DIDN'T want to see the 'operation'. She'd have to take off her shirt and those bandages; even though the DOCTOR wouldn't mind, it'd be a dream come true for HIM. "It's no big deal, if you want to you can."

"Hilde Schebeiker?" She looked behind Duo and smiled. They stood and greeted the elderly doctor. He shook both their hands with a warm smile.

"I offered Duo to be with us while I got my stitches removed, but he didn't answered me yet." She reported, lovingly smiling at Duo. Her grin tipped a little larger when his face ducked to the floor, still at a loss for words. He knew what was going to happen, but she didn't know if he could stand it HIMSELF. 

The elderly man nodded. "Well, I'll lead you two to the room and tell you exactly what's going to happen. Duo can decide afterwards to stay or not." He looked at Hilde and smiled. "And it'll make you less nervous my dear."

"Nervous?" She warily asked. She wasn't nervous...somewhat. But, in truth he was mildly correct. She had NO clue what was going to happen, and she thought she could hide it under her excitement. Maybe the doctor knew her better than she knew herself...

"I can see it in your eyes and the way you're fiddling with your hands." He humorously explained. She silently swore and shoved her hands in her front pockets. Fidgeting always WAS a problem she had... "If you'll come with me." After entering the all too familiar room, she immediately walked to the makeshift bed and grabbed the gown so it was out of her way. Putting it in her lap, her eyes caught Duo dragging a chair closer. The doctor sat down in front on a roller chair and looked at her stats. "Okay dear, go ahead and take your shirt off, unwrap your bandages, and put the gown on backwards so the opening shows the front. You'll need to lie down on the bed and not move so I can get out those pesky stitches." He put the clipboard down and looked at her, giving an encouraging smile to disarm her fear. "The procedure is pretty simple, but will be a little strange for you. I'll be using a pair of tweezers and some very sharp scissors, so I'll have to tell you when to breathe and hold a breath. I'm going to cut all the thread, then pull it out one by one so there's no possible case of snagging." He rolled the chair back to the counter against the wall. "This is going to feel somewhat odd, so if you wanted to hold something to take your mind off the procedure, you can."

She took in all the info, especially the part where she would have to disrobe in front of Duo...if he stayed in the room. When she remembered he was IN the room, she turned to him. "Do you want to stay, or leave? I don't mind; it's your choice." She softly said, a little nervous and excited he would see her scar. She feared what his guilt level would be when he saw the stitches and size of the mark, but anxious that he'd see such an intimate part of her body. She noticed the unsettled look in his features and was slightly relieved that he was uncomfortable like she was. Though this was routine for her, Duo never saw more than her half naked state in the towel a week ago, and that was minus her chest. Over the past few visits, she slowly became used to the doctor seeing her vulnerable, because he already knew the entire female persona in and out. Duo was a different matter though.

"Make a choice son." The doctor interrupted, sliding a towel-covered tray to the bed. "I want to get started and get Hilde out of here so she can enjoy the nice day." Duo nodded his decision to stay, slightly curious about this small occurrence. The doctor nodded and grabbed the towel, pulling it off and setting it aside. Duo looked at Hilde's slightly nervous look at so many shiny, SHARP objects and reassuringly smiled at her when he caught her eye. She smiled back and tried not to fidget over the growing amount of adrenaline in her system. The fretful urge to move, particularly AWAY from the scalpel, scissors, and many OTHER unnamables, was growing stronger. "Okay dear, go ahead and get ready." The doctor said. Duo turned his head to give Hilde a little bit of privacy.

When he noticed doctor move out of the corner of his eye, he turned back and saw Hilde lying on her back. Nervous eyes stared at the ceiling, one arm holding the folds of the gown in place. His mouth went dry when he saw the scar, void of the wrappings and gauze. The skin around it was discolored with fading bruises and he awkwardly bit his lip. It MIGHT not've been a wise decision to stay... But, he also saw the slope of one of her breasts and was mesmerized, unable to move his eyes if his life depended on it. His gaze broke when her hand moved toward him and he inched closer, intertwining their fingers in support. He sat back and watched as the doctor put a surgical facemask and plastic gloves on and move his tray of metal tools over Hilde's waist. A bright, harsh glaring lamp clicked on right over her chest. "I'm going to clean it with rubbing alcohol before I use the scissors." He warned. Hilde nodded through a neutral face, but her eyes were slightly wide, despite the light overhead. RUBBING ALCOHOL?? There was never anything but a gentle, smell-less soft-soap on her skin. This was DEFINITELY going to hurt. She hissed in a slight breath upon contact before stopping herself. Duo squeezed her hand to let her know he was there and she squeezed back with an intense amount of strength.

He watched the doctor expertly work with the scissors, moving the edges close enough to Hilde's skin, yet not cutting her. When he finished, the elderly man announced he was halfway done and that she was doing fine. "I'm going to slowly pull out the stitches to minimize your discomfort some and so nothing gets stuck. This is the weird part, so just think of anything you need to relax."

She stared at the white ceiling tile and involuntarily shivered when the thread pulled through her skin. She tried to put the feeling into words, in some action she knew of, but couldn't come up with anything. She tried not to keep count and squeezed Duo's hand again when the doctor pulled another out. Eyes remained trained on a spot on the ceiling, unblinking. Her face remained straight, unmoving, as if she were comfortable with this. When she counted the last stitch, she mentally breathed a sigh of relief when he got the worst part out of the way. 'I'd rather have him clean it again with the stitches IN.' She smiled slightly.

"I'm going to clean it again." He warned, soaking another cotton ball with alcohol. "You're doing fantastic. I'm almost done." She hardly felt anything other than a slight sting, but it was better than the sensations she felt earlier. "I'm going to put gauze on your wound, but you can leave the bandages off now. Right now, your wound needs to breathe as much as possible. And while I can't allow you to keep the gauze off since your wound will need more time to heal with this latest adjustment, keeping the extra fabric off will help." She gave a silent cheer, but smiled on the outside as she patiently waited for him to rub the ointment on her almost healed wound. The normal feeling of the gauze and tape once again returned to her skin. "All done. You can sit up now." He cheerfully said.

She did so and happily looked to Duo, then found where his eyes were and smirked. She let go of his hand, fighting the urge to give his braid a good tug. If she had a shirt on, then maybe she'd reach over. But one wrong move and not only would she pull the tape that hadn't gotten a good enough grip on her skin, but exposing herself was a definite. "Turn around Duo so I can get dressed." She humorously ordered.

"Now...you won't be able to wear your clothes for another week, or any bras. I don't want you putting pressure on the sight. You aren't wearing your ace bandage anymore, which takes away a lot of padding that would've been there in the beginning. You'll have to be more careful with what you do from now on."

Nimble hands stopped buttoning up the shirt, her eyes widening. Wearing just a t-shirt around Duo for another week without her bandages? She almost wished for the bandages back. ALMOST. She was still relieved to not have to keep wrapping them around her chest everyday, now able to itch a spot on her back where the bandages would have covered. But now that he KNEW she wasn't going to be wearing the only padding a bra WOULD'VE given, it was going to play havoc with them BOTH. Now it DEFINITELY wasn't a good idea to let him in the room! She finished buttoning up Duo's shirt and looked at the doctor. "Thanks Doc. I'll be back next Saturday to get a clean bill of health from you." She joked, easily smiling.

"I'll hold you to that." He said.

~*~*~

When they left the hospital, Hilde was in a joyous mood. Feeling nearly healed and less restrained than normal, she absently skipped a few times before telling herself to watch it...since she didn't have so much padding around CERTAIN areas. She was now thankful for such a petite figure, that everything wasn't so proportionate. That would be too embarrassing in her mind, and too tempting to Duo. She widely smiled, fighting laughter and wondering at what was going through his head right now. If he was turned on by the fact that she wasn't allowed to wear a bra PERIOD, she was going to laugh at his misfortune in the middle of the sidewalk!

He watched her cheerful mood and felt his start to match hers. It was contagious and he happily smiled, thinking she was almost back to normal. Just another week and then...MAYBE they'd be able to be together like he promised her they would. The thought hadn't left his mind in the matter of a single, measly week. If anything, thinking about her stark naked in his bed was a constant nightly struggle to fall asleep. Many an empty minute he was in the yard was filled with the sight of her in that towel and those wrappings the only thing shielding his eyes. His grin took on a whole new form and he bit his lip to keep excitement down.

They walked past the fateful park on their way home, but instead of walking by, she dragged him into the area, wanting to play to burn some energy. It was only mid afternoon and if they simply went home, she was going to clean to burn it off or go crazy. Might as well have some FUN on this day of joy. He ran with her to the swings, sitting down while she pushed off. He copied and felt all the burdens of worrying about Hilde and being a Gundam Pilot leave him. It was so EASY to forget he was only fifteen when taking part of such a worldwide involved war that could end up changing the world. This was the closest, simplest way to be off the ground besides Deathsycthe, and he cherished this more than his Gundam. It would've been nice to stay like this forever, but Hilde jumped off the swing and he slowed the wide pace. When he stopped on the swing, she dragged him over to the slides and the extensive set of monkey bars. He watched the carefree way she clambered around and felt the same emotions go through him. For once he felt like a normal teenager, instead of someone that had to grow up fast to fight for peace. Watching her climb in and out with that slender body of hers, burning off so much energy in a childish way, he couldn't help but forget all about the war that surrounded every human being. This was THEIR time.

Later, the two spotted a small group of children that arrived into the park while they rested. "Hey you two!" A little kid shouted. From their place on the bench, they looked over at the small boy happily waving. They smiled and waved back. "You wanna join in??" They both raised an eyebrow and almost skeptically looked at each other. Duo shrugged with a growing smile, while she simply grinned back, and they jogged over. The little kid smiled evilly as they approached and wasted no time. "TAG!" He loudly announced, slapping Duo's arm and taking off in the other direction to his friends, happily squealing. Immediately, he tagged her back, taking off after the group of kids half their height. She dumbly blinked at the newest whirlwind that spit dirt into the air before tossing out a playful growl and taking off after him. But, being fair to the others since THEY were the guests, she tagged the nearest child and took off. Duo mostly tagged Hilde the entire time, while she kept telling him it was unfair and purposely wouldn't tag him back throughout the game. The two left the park when the artificial sun started to set, also needing what little reserves they had to get home.

~*~*~

He locked the door behind them when they entered the house, both immediately taking off for kitchen. Starving from such high activity, they unanimously agreed on forgoing dinner, sticking with snacks this ONE time. She WOULD'VE argued, if her stomach didn't demand immediate attention and no hour wait to be fulfilled. Grabbing a large assortment of snacks that looked good, the two comfortably settled on the couch, Duo sitting in NORMAL position while Hilde stretched out, draping her legs over his lap in the process. They playfully argued over the channels, munching on the food they carried from the kitchen as a small war broke out for possession of the controls. If one wanted to watch a different station, or didn't like the program, or simply did it to get a rise out of the other and be obnoxious, they miraculously kept food from being thrown in the process.

After an hour of tv cramming, eating, and playful antics combined with dry wit and sarcasm at the tv, the two stretched out on the couch to be more comfortable as sleep started drooping their eyelids. Hilde snuggled against Duo behind her, half listening to a television show he watched. Her eyes tiredly slunk downward, also brought on by the comfort of being wrapped in a pair of strong arms. It was an exciting and energetic day for her...for them BOTH. She was relieved to be almost back to normal because she was out of shape from Duo not letting her move for a solid month. That long game of tag was fun, but exhausting, and it only proved that she needed to start pulling her weight over Duo's protectiveness and start working out somehow. Not that she was going to TELL him. She wasn't THAT stupid to start him worrying over something she was going to do possibly WEEKS down the road. She KNEW not to overdo everything right now, since this was the most crucial time for her skin to fully heal. With the stitches out, there WAS no more backup in case something happened. Her thoughts crashed back when his hand softly moved across her stomach and she shivered at his touch, but smiled slightly, enjoying the feel of his hands. It mildly tickled, but she didn't want him to stop. Giving in to sleep, her eyes closed in content.

"Stop." Hearing the words of panic not even a minute later, she wondered what station Duo flipped to. He always DID have a short attention span, but she was barely paying attention anyway. "No please." Slowly becoming more awake, she realized it was HER saying those words. As if opening her eyes, Duo stood above her, fierce determination in his eyes. "No Duo, please." She weakly repeated, feeling that familiar pain course through her chest. What was going on? How could she be hurt so badly when she just fell asleep, basically okay? "Don't do this..." Not listening to her weak, almost inaudible pleas, his hand plunged down to her ribcage... Her eyes jerked awake before she felt the jolt throughout her body. Glazed pupils wildly looked around and she reminded herself that she was okay, trying to bring herself out of disorientation. A dream...it was just a DREAM...

When her body jerked in his arms, his stare gravitated to her face. Her eyes moved around the room and his brow creased in curiosity and concern. As if sensing something wrong with her, his lips absently kissed her hair to let her know he was there. "You okay babe?" He softly asked. She stiffly nodded and fixated her gave to the tv. She was avoiding something and not verbally answering him was allowing her to keep from expressing emotions through her voice. His distress raised another notch as he stared at her sideways face. "You sure you're okay?" He asked again, his eyes calculating.

Hilde thickly swallowed and nodded again, trying to convince herself that everything was past. 'There'll ALWAYS be some sort of shock you have to get over yet.' She told herself. 'I guess it gets dealt with on the subconscious level.' His chin moved to the top of her head and his hand softly kneaded the side of her waist. She felt unidentifiable warmth in her lower stomach and shivered, trying to swallow over the sudden rush of adrenaline.

His breath tickled her ear. "I know you enough to know when you've had a bad dream... I know you're lying about it." He whispered. She silently cursed, knowing she wouldn't be able to tell him what was going on because she didn't want him to feel GUILTY anymore. She didn't want him to feel anything bad toward her, so she purposely kept quiet. If he knew she just had a nightmare about that night, he would go right back to where he was at the bottom of the ladder. Just as she was physically healing, he was emotionally and mentally picking himself back up. Not swayed by her stubborn silence, his hand kneaded the lower area of her rib cage and her skin tingled where his hands touched. The indescribable, delicious feeling in her stomach grew and her eyes quickly closed to savor it. Suddenly, his hands stopped and the feeling was gone. She felt seclusion, even though his body was directly behind her, touching back to front. Her eyes opened in agony for him to touch her again and her body turned a degree to face him. Her face twisted toward his awaiting, burning eyes. "What did you dream about?" He lowly repeated. She wouldn't give that information because she knew the minute he did, he would stop caressing her and isolate himself for the entire evening, fearing the physical power he held above her. He would fear what his 'deadly' hands could do, so she kept quiet and said nothing.

He raised an eyebrow at her silence, still challenging her with his eyes. He didn't want there to be any kind of secrets between them and he didn't like knowing she wasn't able to come to him with something on her mind. Sharing it would make her feel better, since this was obviously BOTHERING her... She turned until she faced him and his arm comfortably situated itself around her waist. Her arm did the same and they stared into each other's eyes for a bit, neither giving up. There was longing in her eyes and he wanted to desperately touch her like he was, but silently used that power to torture the secret out of her. He loved her, and he didn't WANT there to be secrets between them. His mouth leaned closer, but didn't kiss her. "If you want me to touch you again Hilde, then you'll have to tell me what your dream was." He smiled sexily.

Hilde was stuck between a rock and a hard spot. She would NEVER tell him her dream, but she wanted to feel those feelings again. Wracking her brain for a believable lie, she told him the one that was the second worry in her heart. Though she didn't LIKE lying, it was that or physical AND emotional isolation. "I dreamt that you had to leave to go fight again..." Her eyes lowered and her face nuzzled against his collarbone. Every time he left, she always felt so down, just like she did NOW. It wasn't hard to conjure up the emotion and let it take her. "I just don't want you to leave me when we've achieved so much..." She hoped that was enough to throw him off the trail because she was close to tears. Though she never cried as he left, she let the downpour happen after he was safely out of the colony. It was a rule she made because she knew if he saw her tears, he wouldn't leave on something he HAD to do. The ruse seemed to work; he smoothed out her hair and brought her closer in a hug.

"Don't worry babe. Even if I have to go back to war, I'll come back to you. I don't want to leave what we have, because I love you so much." Tears came to her eyes. No matter HOW many times he said those three little words, they always managed to capture a bit more of her heart. Her eyes lifted and she passionately kissed him. The arm around her waist tightened, his other snaking around her head to the back of her neck, pulling her even closer. He picked up speed, but she matched him stride for stride, emotion for emotion. It didn't take long for her neck muscles to get tired. Knowing there was a better way to go about the kiss, she moved back and shifted her legs extremely slowly to give him a hint. Without breaking the kiss, the two moved till she laid over his girth. Completely stretched out over his body, her mind blanked of all thought except for the emotions and sensations going through her veins. On a natural impulse, her legs parted until she straddled his hips in a more comfortable position.

When her legs spread under him, his passion went up another notch. Through the emotions and adrenaline in his body, he was amazed and surprised this was happening to HIM. How could such a beautiful woman love someone like him, let alone be kissing him like she was?? This was what he dreamt about. His clothing was quickly becoming a barrier and he longed to shed it, to mingle his skin with hers. His lips devoured hers and she kept pace with his every move, even initiating something herself. Her hips press into his, bringing a shuddering sensation up his spine, through every pore of his body. His lips started to tremble, his breathing picking up another notch. His arms wrapped around her waist, clutching her to his chest, trying to bring her closer. Her hands dug into his hair, digging, caressing, her nails making his entire brain quiver. Only in dreams had he ever thought this would be happening, that he would be feeling this much elation towards his true love. Every day, every hour, the love built so much that he loved her so much it hurt. He was reluctant to break the kiss to pinch himself, fearing it was all a dream and Hilde would still be hurt worse than she was. His emotions quickly corrected him. 'But she's nearly as healthy as you are. She's keeping pace with you isn't she?' Her hips ground into his once again, blocking out any other thoughts. His arms loosened their hold and slowly slid over her back, seductively caressing her spine. They slowly brushed lower, lower, till he was at the bottom of her shirt and dared to go lower. The tips of his fingers touched the hem of her jeans. Upon making the discovery, his hands shook as he slowly drifted lower, till they rested over the back pockets. A soft groan came from hers mouth and he felt the tingle against his lips. His control was quickly slipping every time she pushed herself against him. His hands quickly overcame the nervousness and applied more pressure. He felt the soft curves of her body and when he felt it wasn't enough, his hands gripped her rear and pushed her against him.

She continuously pushed herself against his waist to feel the emotions swirl around her body. The first time was just an experiment, heavily influenced by the pleasure that shook her hands. The first time held her captive and she did so now more so by need than curiosity or want. Her arms positioned on either side of his head for balance, her hands gripping chunks of the couch for leverage. She felt in heaven when his hands pulled her and she willingly complied. Her legs were weak, adrenaline rushed, and her arms felt like they were going to collapse as her back arched again, again, and again. Her body shifted forward and back over him until he gripped her and moved her body quicker when she was unable to. Her temperature rose from the physical exertion and the closeness of his body; her breathing was ragged; and her lips shook. She couldn't think of a coherent sentence if her life DEPENDED on it. Their tongues somehow danced throughout, able to keep up with such a pace that they set between themselves. She moved herself as fast as she could and as all her emotions built, searching for something...searching for release. Unable to keep contact with his mouth, she broke the kiss with a small gasp and borrowed her head in his neck, finally able to breathe. Her movements increased even more with that little extra room to move and she felt every pore, every fiber build. She wanted this feeling to continue forever, but also for the end to get that glorious sensation.

As her entire body started to tense, a small jab of pain in her chest was felt over the wave of joy and she cringed, immediately stopping, even though it was against every fiber in her body right now. Not really thinking of anything other than pleasure, that small spark of logic overroad the moment and put a small bit of panic in her. Lungs heaving, she pulled away as something sticky touched her chest, other than her own sweat. She pulled away, immediately worried, a hand going to her shirt. "What's wrong babe?" Duo huskily whispered, staring at her with hooded eyes, but not seeing the problem. Her face remained down so she wouldn't meet his eyes. His hands softly caressed her behind, trying to sooth her into finishing what they started. When she paused, it was like taking something precious away from him.

Fingertips lightly pressed on a small spot near the sight she and felt another jab of pain. No, it COULDN'T be...she couldn't be THAT STUPID and CARELESS! With frightfully wide eyes, she looked at Duo, who was thankfully too gone to notice. Panic hit her; he wouldn't be so clueless for long, so it was necessary to be gone before the blood soaked through her shirt. "Be right back." She quickly muttered, scrambling from him and tearing off to her room.

The weight immediately lessened from his body and the passion instantly died. Confused eyes followed her till she rounded the hallway and the door slammed. Perplexed and an emotional torrent, his head slumped back onto the arm of the couch as he stared at the ceiling, wondering what just happened. A second ago, he was in such a passion induced haze, and so was SHE. He sought release, and he knew that's what SHE was trying to do, so he had no clue why she suddenly took off like she did. He hoped they would be able to finish what they started. Her body molded perfectly over his, their rhythm in such a beautiful time... His body became constricted of his clothing again, tightening around his skin. God, how he wanted to make love to her so BADLY... Closing his eyes, one hand propped his head up as he tried to relive the emotions that touched him from head to toe. His body was still shaking from the overload. He never knew anyone was capable of such an act...but then...he underestimated her level of ardor.

A dreamy smile lit his face as he remembered how she moaned when his hands helped move her faster. His body reacted again, making it even harder to move. Then WHY did she run off?? There was no rhyme or reason to it. He did nothing to turn her away from him. Trying to figure the situation out, his clouded brain struggled to picture her face, to think above the one thing running in his head right now. He remembered her eyes, and the bit of panic around her wild hair. His brow creased in confusion. When he asked her what was wrong... her gaze stayed off him and looked down to something. 'Herself?' A hand, gently touching her chest...as if probing for something... Eyes clouded in pain... His mind became sharper as he realized something was wrong. His eyes popped open. 'Maybe I should go see just WHAT the problem is.' He thought with new determination. It laced with anger, partly at his stupidity, and partly for Hilde not telling him that something might be wrong. His hands reflexively clenched in worry as he purposely strode around the furniture. She was almost healed...he just had to keep telling himself he was overreacting. And hopefully...so was SHE.

~*~*~

'I am such a fucking MORON!' She berated again. Putting everything away, she stared at the old bandage, spotted with blood...HER blood. 'I shouldn't have gotten so carried away.' But oh...how wonderful it'd been... When she rebandaged herself up, she saw no permanent damage was done and was grateful. Just what she needed, to break the wound open again and go get stitches AGAIN. The whole process was enough for her the FIRST time. Lost in thought, a knock sounded, extremely loud in the silent room. She jumped and quickly threw the gauze in the garbage bin, hurrying to think up an explanation. Lying again? It was wrong of her to not tell the truth to Duo, but she was more concerned about HIS emotional state than hers right now. She stopped at the door and gripped it with shaking hands. She knew he would kill her, especially when he found the REAL reason she ran away. That, or himself... Taking a resounding breath, her heart thundered in her ears as she peeked the door open.

He stared into panicked blue eyes before she masked it and gave him a curious, playful, raised eyebrow. His own worries were becoming worse, as was his anger. "Is anything wrong?" He seriously asked, slowly moving his foot so she wouldn't be able to shut her door. Her attention was totally diverted to him until her head shook and looked to the door. His eyes narrowed at the guilty look on her face and his voice became somewhat harsh. The anger brewed inside him, and although he didn't like being angry with her, a good portion of it was directed at his carelessness and how out of control he let his hormones get. "Something happened." He said, almost gravely. Her head jerked up and met his eyes, a small bit of fear in them. His anger simmered a bit because he didn't WANT her to be afraid of him. Too many people already WERE afraid of Shinigami's anger, and there was no need for it at their home. She never WAS afraid, even when he was angrier than he was now. She didn't really know what fear was, but the look in her eyes told him she was trying to cover something up. He breathed in to tell her he knew she was lying when he caught it, the strange aroma that always made his nose wrinkle from the smell. He smelled it that day he helped with her bandages and at the doctor's office. He always WONDERED how she could stand such a smell, but now, that was her downfall.

She had never seen Duo so mad. Ever since they confessed their love, his frustration and anger were non-existent around her. That day triggered a whole new side of the Duo Maxwell she saw so long ago. It stunned her to see the darkness in his once happy eyes. She tried to stop her racing heart and challengingly stared back into his eyes, almost daring him to yell at her or try and berate her. But she couldn't look away again. She had to be strong to face him. His anger was something to cower down to, and she didn't want to show him she was afraid. "Something HAS happened to your wound, and there's no way you can deny it."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she stared at him in amazement. "How...how did you KNOW?" She sputtered. She looked down at her shirt, hoping there were no stains on it. She looked up into Duo's face again and he tapped his nose.

"I can smell it." He seriously told her.

She breathed in and smelt the accursed aroma. Having to use it daily, her olfactory sense became accustomed to it, which she found rather helpful. Now it was a curse, because she knew HE wasn't used to it. "Look Duo, nothing's wrong. I'm still okay and-"

He took a step back, clenching his fists till nails dug into his palms. He punched the wall in intense anger and she flinched, an involuntary shiver coursing through her spine. Without her permission, a foot took a reflexive step backward to safety. He shouted obscenities to himself as he tossed his hands in the air and stomped off to his room. She watched as his voice faded in her ears, unbelieving what just happened. Wide, astonished eyes slowly gravitated to the dent in the wall. Her gaze locked with it under she heard nearly quiet. Quickly getting over the shock, her gaping mouth snapped shut as she ran the short distance to his room. The lock clicked into place as she tried to open it, also keeping her away from him. Her fist pounded on the door, wanting to break it down. "DUO! DUO LET ME IN! Right NOW Duo! Let me IN, damn it!!"

"I'm not opening this door because I DON'T want you to get injured again!" He shouted, frustrated over his worries proved true. His worst fear came true; he hurt her again. He NEVER wanted to hurt Hilde, yet such a memorable experience could've put her back in the hospital. And she kept wondering why he didn't want to touch her...

Her anger flared and she pounded on the door repeatedly, trying to twist the lock with her free hand, even though it wasn't budging. She knew it wasn't, but that didn't stop her. "DAMN IT DUO!" She shouted angrily. "OPEN THIS DOOR!! I'm FINE!"

"I'm NOT going to open the door and have you getting HURT again! So you should stop pounding on the door before you hurt your hand!" He stubbornly yelled.

She screamed in frustration and rage, feeling like pulling her hair out. All that progress...the entire month of gently building him back to believe she was okay, that she could even WALK on her own...down the toilet. "FUCK you, Duo Maxwell!!" She kicked the door as hard as possible before stalking out of the house, slamming the front door as hard and loudly as she could. In her blind fury, being so angry with him for not seeing to reason, she took off in a dead run, headed in nowhere particular.

~*~*~

After he couldn't take the silence anymore, his head tentatively moved from the cushion of his arms. Now calmed down, his more tranquil eyes stared across the room. He sat with knees to his chest and crossed arms, trying to block out all light and welcome back the darkness. The last time he worked in the dark, everything was clear-cut and precise. There was never a time when he needed to worry about anyone other than himself. He didn't need to fear the power he was trained to wield. And now...he wished it never came to him. It seemed no matter how small, he managed to hurt Hilde. Ever since he punched the wall and seen her fear, he cursed his experience as a Gundam pilot and went to lock himself in his room, to keep his death hands from hurting her. His ears picked up every shout she threw through the door; his mind counted every time she pounded on the wood; his heart bled with the loud curse she threw his way before the door slammed; and his body felt the house tremble from her fury. Tears came to his eyes. He wondered if she would forgive him for being such a hypocrite. He told her he didn't want any secrets kept from him and he didn't want her to leave him, but he pushed her away and made her afraid of him. He refused to go near her because of whom he was. He angrily swiped at a tear and cursed his stupid heart. His ears strained to hear any kind of movement outside the door; he wasn't about to open it if she was waiting down the hallway or hiding to get into his room. A small smile tipped his lips. That was so like the Hilde he knew. Not hearing anything but the crickets near his window, he slowly and silently unfolded his arms, continuing to listen as he moved.

Standing up, he slowly made his way to the door, still listening for any sounds she might make. It was entirely silent ever since she slammed the door and he wondered if she'd be in her room, waiting for his apology, which he felt compelled to give. His hand unlocked the door, slowly turning the knob. Cracking it a bit, he peeked out. The hallway was deserted, but the lights were still on. He knew she must've stormed off to her room, because she normally griped about the energy bill from time to time. Opening it a few more inches, his head experimentally snuck out from the opening and swung side to side. His hearing strained to hear ANY peep she might make, but none came. His shoulders snuck out as he looked up and down the hallway for her body. Feeling confused, and a sense of dread, the rest emerged before shutting his light off and leaving the room.

He searched the bathroom, her room, the kitchen, and the living room before he decided to try the scrap yard as a last effort. He was beginning to worry; he hoped he didn't scare her off. When they met, she had practically nothing, and she could LEAVE just the same. He shivered at the thought and worry turned to fear. He KNEW she wouldn't leave him after everything they shared, but... The anger and venom in her voice directed at him caused his legs to go a little faster as he ran past the piles of metal, eyes almost wildly looking for short, midnight hair. Dishearten when his search turned up negative, he ended up in the front yard to try and catch a glimpse of her walking home. Maybe she walked away to cool off. He decided to go look for her, for it had to be nearly midnight and he hated to think of any sicko approaching her. Hilde was his and no other man could look at her as far as HE was concerned. His jaw clenched in mounting fury. Leaving the house and all the lights on, he quickly jogging down the sidewalk, keeping an eye out.

~*~*~

'It's not his fault I was being careless.' She sighed again and cursed her ignorance, not to mention short temper. 'I shouldn't have cursed him out, he was just trying to protect me and keep me from harm.' The nurturing side in her dropped as hurt came flaring up. 'I don't NEED to be PROTECTED!' Her mind screamed. She did QUITE well on her own before she even MET Duo Maxwell; his babying her was cute for a while, but there were SOME days it got extremely OLD. But...he only did it because he LOVED her... Drooping her shoulders, she bent at the waist and clutched her head in her hands. 'I am such a little bitch. Why do I always fly off the handle like that?? I need to be more patient around him. He's lost everybody he's ever CARED about. I shouldn't be one of them just because I don't want him to BABY me. It's not like I SAID anything half the time ANYWAY.' A hand unclutched her hair and lovingly touched the object she sat on. 'So many memories here; these angry ones shouldn't be one of them.' Resolved to correct the wrongs she committed, her head leaned up and stared into the darkness. Biting her lip, she pushed off the bench, leaving the park.

Only walking a few blocks, she heard another set of footsteps and immediately thought of Duo. Walking on the balls of her feet for silence, she strained her hearing. 'No,' she thought, 'it's not Duo, there's more than one set of footsteps and Duo doesn't walk that heavily.' Panic started to rise in her chest. She realized she was being followed and immediately thought about the news, and the war. 'That's right, there's a war outside of my own emotions.' It was so easy to forget all about the horror of a large scale war with so much going on in their home. Sometimes, she forgot all about it. 'Not right NOW.' Unnoticeably picking up her pace, she tried to hurry home. She had no clue who it was and didn't want to get hurt again, only to have Duo curse himself for weeks after for not being there.

She crossed the block, still trying to make her walk look light. Eyes quickly darted to a dark spot to hide from or a yard to bolt through, just in case. She was finally able to cross THAT block and get to another one. "HEY BEAUTIFUL." She continued on her quick walk, pretending she hadn't heard. "HEY BEAUTIFUL, WAIT UP!"

Immediately, she heard the slur in the words as the inarticulate tried to pronounce them. 'Great, JUST great, just what I DON'T need, a DRUNK!' She silently cursed. Hearing the clomping footsteps coming closer, she tried to speed her pace up more.

~*~*~

He searched the entire block; one of the surrounding ones; and half of another, when he saw someone walking down the middle of the deserted street. His mind immediately hoped it was Hilde, but it was a drunk, tipsily making his way down the center. He cursed himself for getting his hopes up and continued to look, anticipation mounting every passing minute. He crossed the street and decided to take the path the drunk had taken, since he had no real plan of search. His eyes scanned every bit of the terrain, but didn't see her. He was about to go and check the shuttle station as a last resort when he heard it. "HEY BEAUTIFUL, WAIT UP!" He immediately stopped, then rolled his eyes. Some drunk was going to get a piece tonight, and he had NO desire to listen to the ramblings.

He continued down the street and cut across a lawn when he heard arguing. 'Arguing??' His mind did a double take. Curious, he cut across the block and kept in the shadows, listening for where the voice came from.

"I said I am NOT LEAVING with you!" His mind recognized Hilde's voice and anger flared, as well as jealousy. Some other bastard was trying to make moves on HIS GIRL! His hands and jaw clenched. Eyes of rage desperately sought out the guy so he could beat him within an inch of his life. Anyone that messed with Hilde would know Shinigami's fury. He quickly inched along the house, going toward the voices. His ears heard something click in the darkness. It seemed TOO loud to him, and he knew what it was. Anger turned to urgency as he tried to pick his silent pace up.

~*~*~

"Why don't you guys go sleep it off?" she sneered. She didn't bother to hide the venom in her voice until she heard it, another set of footprints walking up the street behind her. Her main focus remained on the two in front of her, the corner of her eye catching the shaky movement of another drunk coming from the shadows.

"Why don't you come help me fall asleep then?"

His grin was disgusting and she had to fight the creepy feeling that threatened to cause a shudder. She wouldn't let these jackasses see ANY kind of emotion from her! "Why don't you use each OTHER as company?" She said, raising a smug eyebrow. 

"Now that's cold baby, you're not a bitch are you?" The man drawled.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "I'm only a bitch to those who deserve it." She spat out. The friend laughed at the leader, who received a glare in return.

"Well my momma was a bitch, but I taught her a lesson, I don't think you want me to do that to YOU now. You look too good to hurt." Her eyes picked up the trace of movement as he slowly inched his way forward. "Now, why don't you not test my patience and come have some fun with me and my friends."

Her teeth clenched in frustration and agitation. "NO." The man behind her walked a few foot from the leader and she backed up a step to get them all in her sights.

"WHAT was that? I didn't hear what I think I did, did I?"

She played enough mind games for one night with enough people. "I said I am NOT LEAVING with you! Now get the FUCK outa here and go sleep it off in a gutter somewhere!!"

Her ears picked up the quiet SHINK of a metallic object and she immediately knew what it was. A switchblade. She thought that whoever entered the colonies was searched for all weapons. 'But there is always going to be those that can find ways around ANYTHING.' She fought a smirk, but was reminded of the time she found Deathsycthe hidden in the salvage yard. If he could hide a GUNDAM in the colony, then getting a switchblade in seemed like cake.

"I think that yelling hurt my ears. Plus, I don't like mean people. Didn't your parents ever teach you to be kind to strangers?" The gang leader inched forward, displaying the four-inch blade at his side.

Her eyes darted to it before they ran back up to the man's face. "My parents have been dead since I was a kid." She gravely answered, sending a harsh glare. "And don't you EVER speak of them in that manner again!"

"My, my, such a feisty one, I like um' like that. They're so much more fun." The leader brought the knife to his tongue and licked it, bringing a small trail of blood.

She immediately wondered about the mentality of these three. Going into army mode when one of the drunks reached for her, she backed away and did a low kick to his waist, dropping him. The leader looked at his fallen comrade on the ground a little unbelieving, then looked at the other still standing. The second smirked and tried to punch her, but she saw it clumsily coming and dodged in more than enough time. She dropped to the ground and gave the drunk a sweep kick for his troubles. The guy quickly fell backwards onto the pavement, arms flailing in the process. The leader growled low in his throat and moved to kick her. Quickly rolling away, she pushed off the pavement to stand. Hands became fists and both arms went in front of her body as she assumed a defensive military fighting stance. She glared at him as he raised an eyebrow in challenge, holding his knife up. He lunged forward, trying to swipe at her stomach, but she scooted back in time to dodge. Turning, she kicked his hand and quickly got rid of the knife. She swiftly faced him again as he tried to grab her arm and moved it out of the way, kicking the man in the stomach.

He stood frozen in shock as the action progressed, jaw gaping and wide-eyed. 'Hilde's kickin their asses!' He thought, amazed. Gone was the picture of her lying helpless on the hospital bed; in its place was the image of the sidekick she just gave the leader. She was concentrating on the leader so much, she failed to notice the first start to get up behind her. He wanted to call out, but knew her concentration would be blown and she would end up getting hurt. Right now, she had the upper hand, so he kept silent. Slowly edging away from the house, he kept low to the ground so she wouldn't see him and he would be able to get closer to help. Though it didn't look like she needed it with all she was dishing out, he didn't like taking chances.

The leader finally dropped and she for once in her life thanked Oz. Without her military training, she would end up raped and in the hospital, or dead. Her ears picked up mumbling and cursing, along with scraping shoes on the asphalt. She tossed a look over her shoulder and saw the first drunk she put down slowly get to his feet. Calculating the distance, her feet shifted and turned behind to give the drunk a kick to the head, effectively putting him out of battle. The leader got up again and she whirled around, kicking him in the stomach, another to his knees, and then a jump kick to his chest in rapid succession. He fell backwards, coughing and swearing. The second guy tried to lunge low for her legs, but she jumped as high as she could and landed on his back when he fell on the ground underneath. She jumped again when he rolled over and landed to one side. Bringing her foot back, she kicked him on the side of his body, then planted a foot in between his hips. He squeaked from pain and surprise, body immediately stiffening. A hand grasped her ankle and she leaned her weight on the planted foot. "I'd let GO if I were you." She lowly warned. The drunk swiftly complied and she glared. "Like I said before, GO sleep it off!" Lifting her free leg to walk over him, the other pressed down completely, bringing a loud cry of pain as she prevented him from having any 'fun' for a while.

He watched her position over the man and flinched, inavertedly covering the spot she was standing on. 'Note to self: do NOT piss Hilde off, she goes for the family jewels.' He sarcastically thought. But he was gratefully relieved she walked away without a scratch, though he couldn't say much for the OTHER guys. His eyes looked as the three rolled around, gripping various body parts or staggering to get up. He grimaced. He could only IMAGINE the amount of pain the guy was going through. She took a few steps for the block he was on and he moved from his hiding spot. "HILDE!" He called out, relieved. All the anger and pain was forgotten as he ran to meet her, hugging her as soon as he was close enough. The three jerks slowly moved to get out of the middle of the street, making for the opposite block. He felt a sense of pride, knowing she would be able to kick them to their senses. He pulled away and flashed her an impressed grin. "Good job." He complimented.

Any bad emotions melted away as she gave him an embarrassed grin. "You'll notice I didn't use my arms ONCE." She mentioned.

He thought back to the fight and thoughtfully nodded when he noticed all she did was kick. He turned and swung an arm around her shoulders, giving her an affectionate noogie while smiling. "Why don't we go home and call it a night, ne?" She wrapped an arm around his waist and nodded, smiling tiredly. Yes...it HAD been a night, some night to remember.


	8. Chapter 8

Grabbing the rest of the credits, he quickly left the bank and headed home. He grabbed enough to pay the doctor's bill for the past month and a half and he was glad this was their last visit. With the small amount they hoarded and put in the bank for safekeeping, this single injury nearly cleaned the account out! But it was necessary and it was only credits, he would empty it in a heartbeat if it meant taking care of Hilde. It was a quick jog back home, since they didn't own any kind of car, and he couldn't salvage one without taking parts for his Gundam. And the exercise kept him in SOMEWHAT good condition to keep from going soft. Walking through the door, he spotted Hilde absentmindedly clicking through the channels. He couldn't help but grin; she looked utterly bored. He knew she wanted to go with, but he told her he'd be back in a short time. But knowing ANY business, especially a BANK, it took longer than he expected. She looked up when he entered and smiled when he winked. "Ready to go?" He asked. She nodded, getting up from the couch.

Walking through the hospital doors about half an hour later, they went straight for the elevator by habit. Silently, they waited for it to take them to the floor they needed, getting off when the doors opened. Duo smiled at the nurse and Hilde waved as they approached the station. The middle-aged lady smiled and held out the paperwork she needed to finish for her final release. He spotted the doctor walking toward them, pleasantly nodding when they made eye contact. He shook hands with the elderly doctor; silently hoping it was the last time he had to do that. The man was nice and didn't ask too many questions, but he was here to treat Hilde, making friends wasn't something he intended on DOING. He glanced over at her. "I'll just wait out here for you." She nodded and walked for the room. His old routine of walking the halls while he waited was practiced, though hopefully the last for a while. When he was back at the nurse's station again, Hilde was talking to the doctor, smiling as she did. He smiled as he walked closer, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He just felt content right now and wanted to share the good mood.

She jumped, but relaxed immediately when she felt those strong hands brush against her stomach. Shivers followed and her smile became brighter on reflex. The doctor's eyes crinkled as he smiled at the picture they must've made. When his chin rested on her shoulder, her heart warmed. She shook the doctor's outstretched hand and laughed when he joked about it being a pleasure to 'work' with her. Duo's arms flexed and she felt a little flutter in her heart again when she realized he was JEALOUS. Her head lightly knocked against his where it perched on her shoulder, thanking the doctor for his help. "I just hope I never have to come back for a long, long time." She joked, grinning. The elderly man told her again to be careful and she nodded. She felt a little sad that she would never be able to see this kind old man on an almost regular basis, but also was glad she didn't have to at the same time. The two headed back to the elevator again, Hilde entwining their fingers, happily smiling. His fingers squeezed three times and her grin widened.

Fresh, recycled air hit her face and she deeply inhaled, feeling like a new person. Today was a day of celebration; she was given a clean bill of health and Duo could stop WORRYING about her now! The two walked a few blocks until he pulled her in a different direction. "Duo?" She asked puzzled.

"Come on." He smiled. "Let's go get something to eat and celebrate." With that beautiful grin of his, she couldn't resist as they stepped into a diner. They were seated before her mind registered what he was doing.

She sat down and looked at a menu, immediately finding a few things she wanted to order. She lowered the menu from her face. "Exactly HOW much do you have? I'm kind of hungry."

"I am too." He agreed, grinning an easygoing grin. Looking at the love of his life as if today was a day like any other was getting easier and easier to get used to. He got out the remaining credits and counted what he had. Seeing they had enough, she looked back and chose a few things when the waitress came to get their order. After placing her order, she looked to the waitress and closed her menu, immediately noticing something. The woman was writing down her order, but her eyes kept sneaking peaks across the table. She noticed the dreamy way the woman was looking at Duo while his gaze roamed his choices. The poor boy was totally unaware he was being checked out. If she weren't in love with Duo, and somewhat POSSESSIVE, she would've kicked him under the table to get him to look up while trying to hide her laughter. But the girl seemed captivated by his voice when he told her what he wanted, his eyes still downcast. She had to give him points for his lack of attention, even if it WASN'T intentional. He simply didn't notice, but that didn't mean the girl standing more to his side than hers cared. Jealousy flared and she nudged his foot with hers under the table. When she caught his attention, her hand moved over the tablecloth, fingers spread, smiling contentedly when he held her hand. She evilly grinned when the waitress noticed and her jealousy dropped as she walked away. Duo raised a brow at her, but she ignored his curious look. Oh, how she loved the man for his total devotion of her. She knew because he didn't even cast the waitress a look the entire time he picked something out, or when she left.

~*~*~

Walking to the restaurant door, he held it open and let Hilde pass, feeling good. Both stomachs full, all debts paid, they both could go back to their 'normal' lives. Though NO ONE was ever normal, them especially, things could go back to their regular routine. Feeling impish, his arm snaked around her waist and kept their feet in a swaying rhythm all the way back to the house. By the time they saw the front door, both were grinning like playful children and giggling from the stupidiness of their walk. Each knew they must've looked foolish, but were unable to see the stares of others since their gazes remained cast to their feet to not screw the game up. It was only late afternoon, but he felt like watching that sports game he remembered was on tv. "Go ahead. I'll be back." She said, waving off the immediate offer to join him on the couch. Without another word she walked to her room with his eyes trailing her the whole way.

Compiling all the medicine and gauze with utmost glee, she decided to keep it, because they might need it in the future. Especially with THEIR track record. Carrying it in her arms, she brought it to the bathroom and stored it away in the cupboard under the sink. Nodding and smiling in satisfaction, she left the bathroom and joined Duo on the couch. He looked up when she entered and laid an arm on the back in an undeniable invitation. She sat down with a comfortable smile and slightly watched the game, just enjoying being with him. How long did it seem like she wished this normal moment in her life? With him at her side, cradling her shoulders with his arm, his other hand entwined with her own? Sure they shared many moments of watching television together, but none so cozy and what felt so natural to her.

By the time the time the bulbs started setting the colony's fake sun, both were a little tired and closed their eyes to rest. Hours passed, and the game they originally sat down to watch was over with about three sitcoms ago. She was getting sick of the station he left it at and tried taking the controls to change it, but he kept taking them from her. What WAS it in men that tried to dominate the remote control?? Same instinct that didn't allow men in the kitchen to help cook supper or do the dishes she supposed. She snuck a glance at his peaceful face and gently smiled. He fell asleep, just as she felt like doing. Oh, he was such an adorable sight with his head drooped to his chest, those lengthy bangs hanging in his eyes. His lips were parted the slightest bit as he breathed through his mouth and she was sorely tempted to kiss him, if she wanted to wake him up and rob her of this chance to just stare at him. Her mind cried out those three little words as it swelled and she decided to voice it. "I love you." She lovingly whispered. Slowly, she reached over...eyes concentrated on his face for signs of alertness...to take the controls from his weak grasp. Completing her snatch, she muted the tv and flipped a bit to see if anything was on. She found one station completely blank. Curious, she unmuted it and heard music playing. Turning it up, an announcer said something about extreme oldies and she settled back, closing her eyes contentedly at the soft music, letting it lull her in peaceful slumber.

Cracking an eye open what seemed a while later, he heard music. Opening the other, he stared at a blank screen and listened to the tail end of an upbeat song play. His mind tried to remember anything directly before he fell asleep, but couldn't. The only thing that sounded good was closing his eyes and listen to the sounds of the tv calm him to sleep. With a quiet yawn and harsh blink to wake up, he looked down at the hand that held the remote, feeling the lightness of it. He looked at Hilde's lap, seeing her hand lightly clutching the remote. His gaze traveled up to her face and a gentle smile appeared as how peaceful it was. She reminded him of a sleeping angel and his free hand came up to brush against her cheek, followed by his lips. Her eyes opened and blinked a few times before she looked at him, slowly smiling. Like the prince waking sleeping beauty from a kiss... Her legs stuck out in a stretch and something niggled in his brain. He heard the tail end of a slow song and prayed another would be on. An abrupt, crazy, but hopeful idea came into his head, one that would make him such a romantic in her eyes. His wish seemed to be granted as he heard the slow chords of a piano. He left the couch and moved the coffee table out of the way with renewed vigor, making enough room in the center. He turned and faced a slightly confused Hilde, staring at him with a tilted head. The slow, soft, soothing tenor of a man's voice piped through the speakers. A smile crept up his features and met his eyes as he extended his hand in front of her face. "Would you like to dance?" He softly asked.

_ Look at this face_

_I know the years are showing_

_ Look at this life_

_I still don't know where it's goin_

Hilde's eyes locked on the outstretched hand and felt like melting right into the couch. But the song wouldn't wait and she quickly placed her palm in his and stood up. His arms wrapped around her waist, snuggly holding her to his chest, and she placed hers around his neck.

_I don't know much, but I know I love you_

_And that may be all I need to know_

She couldn't get over how beautiful the song was, and how good it fit them. She stared into Duo's eyes, ears perked up to listen. She couldn't get the smile off her face, and didn't want to. Duo was so handsome, being so gallant and gentle right now, just like a knight in shining armor. A guitar slowly timed in with the song, adding the romantic feel...just as a woman's voice added to the majesty.

** Look at these eyes**

** They never see what matters**

** Look at these dreams, so beaten and so battered**

_I don't know much, **but I know I love you**_

**_ And that may be all I need to know_**

Her eyes shone with tears as she listened to how perfect the song fit. So many times in her life she made the wrong choice, turned the wrong path. It took their first meeting to show her the TRUTH about life...to make her see what she was doing wrong. His eyes took on a serious tinge as he stared and she softly brushed the tips of her fingers against the nape of his neck. The fire jumped into his eyes and his arms tightened to bring her closer. The fluttering and warmth in her heart mixed with the tingle of excitement and anticipation, skipping her heart. "Duo, this song-" She whispered, then stopped and timidly bit her lip. He eyed her curiously, nodding slightly for her to continue. "Do you think it could be ours?"

_So many questions still left unanswered_

_So much I've never broken through_

**And when I feel you near me, sometimes I see so clearly**

**_ The only truth I've ever known, is me and you_**

Duo kindly smiled. If the song was right about one thing, it was that he did know he loved her. There wasn't much he knew the truth to, not with the war muddling his innocence to ruin. The words were so true to form; whoever wrote it so long ago probably didn't know they were playing about a couple living out in space. Nothing in life was certain, not his, and not hers. There was rarely a quiet, peaceful moment between them due to the semi-violent tendencies they harbored due to the war. But knowing he loved her was all the truth hid DID need to know. It was what kept him sane. After her soft question, he felt another piece of his life just fit rightly so. They finally had a song. He softly nodded and stared into her eyes, loosing himself in such beauty of emotion and color. Feeling her body close, he knew he was a very lucky person to be in a realm where nothing but intense love burned deep in his heart. Now, he knew, the entire thing belonged to her. Had for a long time, though neither knew it.

_ Look at this man so blessed with inspiration_

**_ Look at this soul,_**_ still searching for salvation_

**_ I don't know much, but I know I love you,_**

**_ And that may be all I need to know._**

He leaned close to kiss her and his lips were met halfway. They kissed as the guitar and instruments took the song to an even higher level, weaving an even heavier spell over them. They stood holding each other in the middle of the room, letting the air of love continue to reign on, swaying with the beat. This time was engraved in her heart forever. His forehead leaned against her as his eyes closed to savor the moment and a gentle smile touched her lips.

**_ I don't know much, but I know I love you_**

**_ That may be all I need to know_**

**_ I don't know much, but I know I love you_**

**_ That may be all there is to know_**

They had a song, one that fit so well in her life, and he kissed her. She was glad he had such a strong hold on her waist because she was about to fall to the floor in a contented heap at his feet. She grinned at the picture, fighting not to giggle. She wondered when she was such a sap, but realized he made her blossom. She mused about how strong she used to act in the past and knew she was STILL that way, but love wormed its way into her heart, and the person responsible just whispered that he loved her. A shiver made its way up her spine, to her brain, and every extremity she possessed. The way his voice sounded, the way his warm breath moved against her face and brushed her hair...it was better than heaven. She felt his eyes on her and couldn't help but smile the biggest idiot grin in her life.

"What're you SMILING about?" He humorously asked, his face close to hers. As his nose gently Eskimo kissed hers, she let loose the pent up giggle, once again picturing herself at a mush pile at his feet. She almost let go to the urge, to go lax in his grip just to see what he'd DO. The look of confusion and amusement from him just spurred on another fit of giggles. Her lips pressed together to gain some semblance of control, but it was useless. She couldn't get the dopey grin off her lips. It felt good to act so immature for once, and she was totally aware how right her life suddenly fit. Everything was in place. His grip laxed, face pulling away as her laughing eyes opened and looked into his. Teeth bit her lip to keep from outright laughing at such a stupid picture, especially when she would have NEVER done such a girlish thing over a simple GUY. She was stronger than this in the past, always acting differently. Well...she wasn't in Oz anymore and this was her HOME damn it! She could act like a girl in love if she FELT like it!

His head tilted when she didn't answer, just kept giggling. A blush crept up the edges of her cheeks and nose. 'What's got HER so happy?' He mused, humor catching from her. He wondered if she was laughing at HIM and got an evil idea. Whatever picture or thought in her head got her like this, it'd be a SHAME for her to STOP... Hands turned to her sides as he started tickling her, drawing out peals of her beautiful laughter as she wriggled in his arms to be free.

"What's so FUNNY??" He taunted, moving around her wiggling form and batting hands. She doubled over from laughter and he followed her to the ground, still on the offense. For some reason, he felt like a nine year old with his first crush after finding out girls weren't so icky after all. That...or a six-year-old picking on the first girl he liked. Her laughter was infectious and he found himself laughing right alongside her, still continuing to attack her sides.

If he didn't stop soon, she was going to wet her pants! She gave up the struggle to try and bat his hands away because she was laughing too hard to keep up the fight. DAMN her accursed ticklish sides! This wasn't FAIR!! But she OBVIOUSLY didn't mind, because he chuckled right along with her as he tortured her...most likely ENJOYING it. Her heart melted at his laughter. 'Alright,' Her evil side chimed in, 'IT'S PAYBACK!' The rest of her quickly agreed and she deposited both palms on the floor. Her leg swung around to drop him, but knowing for sure he wouldn't get HURT this time. It connected and his hands quickly left her sides as they flailed in the air to keep him upright. She weakly stood up and jumped across the couch to put some distance between them, her stomach hurting like none other.

He quickly regained his balance, eyes narrowing through a wolfish grin as he stared at her. The little minx was at it again, but this time wouldn't be like the last. "Oh, you're gonna wish you hadn't tried to trip Shinigami girlie." He playfully taunted. Though it felt so easy to call himself the God of Death, for some reason, it sounded odd coming from his mouth. In this moment, he was more Duo than Shinigami. She looked at him with wide playful eyes, but couldn't help giggling through her already sore stomach. Her hands gripped the fabric, as she prepared to bolt. "Do you HONESTLY expect this couch to HOLD ME?" In one movement he vaulted over it, as easy as if he were taking a stroll into the kitchen. She squeaked and ran toward the front door. She quickly undid the lock and opened it, running out as his feet sounded closer. He should've BEEN there by now, since he was an inch or two taller than she was, but apparently was taking his sweet time in catching her. Like a hunter stalking his prey... She went to shut the door in his face, but ended up slamming a shoe inside instead, hearing him yelp in pain. BOY did she hope those boots of his were THICK! She snickered nonetheless and used that time to look for a hiding place while he shouted obscenities and promised revenge. She got about fifteen feet from the door when it swung open, banging against the wall. She cringed through a smile, hoping he didn't put a dent in the drywall with the doorknob! No need to get CARELESS now... 

She turned and watched with amusement, also fighting laughter, as he searched the opposite way, also taking a few threatening steps in that direction. Putting both fingers to her mouth, she gave a shrill whistle. His braid whipped around as he faced her, pointing at her with those narrowed eyes of his. She gaily waved, ignoring the playful, murderous look in his eyes. "LOOKING FOR ME?!" She loudly taunted, that idiot grin back on her face. When he started for her, she happily yelped from the chase and continued her route around the house for the fence. She pushed it open and locked it on him, just as he was two steps behind. A quick yank on the knob and short bang told her she was only seconds ahead. "NYAA, NYAA, NYAA, NYAA, NYAA! WHAT'RE YA GONNA DO NOW DUO?!" She shouted through the door. She laughed, but quickly hushed herself when she heard silence on the other side. No cocky comeback, no threat, no taunt to return hers. She took a few steps back and avidly stared at the door, ears perked.

The thrill of the chase coursed through his veins and he WAS going to get the prize! She stood on the other side of a mere line of nailed down wood. He grinned at the locked gate to the scrap yard, looking down the line at the seven-foot tall wood fence. 'TOO EASY!' He boasted. He backed up about a dozen paces and took off full speed. With a mighty jump, he grabbed hold of the top, swinging his legs over the side. He landed in a crouched position about five-foot next to his amazed prey, which just dumbly stared at him in total astonishment. Clearly, she didn't expect him to go to such measures to catch her. Oh SURE...he could've gone through the front door, raced through the house, and went through the BACK door...but where was the fun in THAT?? When he slowly stood, she yelped, coming back to her senses. He chuckled deep in his throat as she took off, disappearing behind one of the junk piles. Knowing she was trapped, he casually walked the way she ran. This was the end of the chase and now all he had to do was find a way to torture her as punishment. He'd have to start thinking hard...it would be a short chase; the fence enclosed the entire area and he knew she wouldn't jump over it like HE did. His grin turned feral as he ambled through the piles, taking his time. He went around almost every pile and ended up back in the front of the scrap yard again, empty-handed. 'Hmm...' He curiously pondered. He stood thinking and staring at the mounds of junk ahead, wondering how she was able to elude him.

Crouching in her hiding spot, teeth bit her lip to not laugh and give her away. She didn't hear anything from him, no footsteps or voice, but didn't want to jeopardize her place by peeking. She saw his legs swing right past the cloth haphazardly covering the small hole she was in. She spotted it while wildly looking around for a place to hide and saw fading light filter through a small gap. Given no time to think over the playful urge to hide and make him wonder, she almost dove right in and situated the cloth...just as he passed seconds later. Her ears strained to hear ANYTHING, but all was quiet. She evilly smiled and tightened the grip her arms had around her legs. Chin resting on her knees, she stared out the small gap to see when he walked by again, wondering when they went from dancing and looking so much in love to him chasing her in a game of hide and go seek! Her eyes closed to heighten her hearing and heard a door slam after a while. Her eyes shot open, staring into the darkness in bewilderment. Her eyebrows lowered, wondering if he ACTUALLY gave UP on her and went back inside to watch tv. Her eyes rolled. 'Yea RIGHT!' She decided to wait for what seemed a few more minutes before crawling out. Reaching out for the flap, she meekly peered out of her spot, her upper body following. She creeped out, careful not to jostle the load of junk above the small hole. Everything was set on top of another as it was brought in and she didn't need it falling on her NOW. Cockily standing up, hands rested on her hips as she warily looked around. 'What a wuss.' She mused, getting an urge to give a small belt of triumphant laughter.

She walked to the front of the yard and saw the closed doorway. Shaking her smiling head, she didn't think he would give up so easily. Duo Maxwell NEVER gave up on something he was hell-bent on getting! "But I guess he had to lose at SOMETHING." She joked, snickering.

"That's what YOU think!" He shouted, already running for her from his perch behind a pile of junk. She turned toward him and her eyes widened, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

'Correction; a SEMI!' He brashly thought. He was maybe five feet from her when she tried to run. He caught up before she even got three steps and wrapped an arm around her waist. He quickly twisted around so she would land on him and not visa versa. With the speed he was going, this was going to hurt. When they landed, he quickly rolled over to trap her and wrapped her wrists in his hands, holding them above her head. It was also so he could keep his balance over her as he started his punishment.

"Gotcha." He said simply. Her eyes rolled, but she smiled from the game. "Now, I DO believe that I demanded retribution for trying to TRIP me," She smiled as she stared at him challengingly, mentally demanding he do his worst, "AND for closing the door on my foot." Her stomach shuddered with nearly controlled laughter and she bit her lip to keep from letting it loose, though her eyes were a dead giveaway she was laughing at his demise. "Also there's the little matter of making me JUMP the FENCE, making me RUN after you, AND having to find you." She scoffed and rolled her eyes again at how overdramatic he was being.

'Oohh, this's going to be good.' He evilly thought. The worse she spurred him on, the more seductive the punishment was going to be. His lips lowered to hers, but pulled back when she tried to meet them. They lowered a second time, but jerked his head up when she moved to kiss him again. He tried not to grin at the overly frustrating look on her face and the fire in her eyes. He saw how bad she wanted him to kiss her and he did too, but he was going to make her 'suffer' for a bit.

She eagerly went to meet his lips yet again, but he pulled away and she only met his smirking face. She wanted to grab his head and pull his lips to hers, but he held her wrists and wasn't about to let go. She experimentally struggled against the bonds, but felt the steel-like grip and knew she wasn't getting ANYWHERE. She glared, loosing her patience. At first, when he moved to kiss her the first time, she figured he dropped the whole thing. But when he kept it up, she knew this was the retribution he was exacting. Not letting her kiss him, on PURPOSE?? The BASTARD! "Let me GO Duo or fucking KISS me already!" His eyebrows shot up and she blushed at the bluntness of her demand. Her eyes closed with an inaudible sigh at her behavior and shook her head. When she opened them again, his face was merely an inch away.

"Only if you agree to something." He whispered.

Her eyes locked on his and she barely heard a word he said. All she saw was deep pools of violet, so large they filled her vision. "What?" She whispered, feeling the heat from his breath.

She thought he lowered his face even farther because his lips nearly touched hers as he spoke. "I, Hilde, am Duo's lowly slave and must be punished for being disobedient." He whispered. Her mind immediately conjured up over a dozen nasty images and she couldn't help BUT stare into his violet eyes as words flew from her grasp, leaving her mute. Her eyes slowly widened on their own accord. His nose continuously rubbed against hers in an Eskimo kiss, quickly dropping her resolve to tell him to shove it and get off her.

His lips kept brushing against hers while he moved his nose...and she lost it. "I, Hilde, am Duo's lowly slave and must be severely punished for being disobedient." She quickly breathed.

He grinned. He hadn't used severely, but he tortured her enough to get her to say it on her own. His lips pressed down onto hers; finally releasing her prison. His mouth opened simultaneously with hers as their tongues touched with heightened passion from the game. Though she was irritated and he was playful it was still under the surface, as always. Her body went entirely slack as she relaxed and he was careful not to put his full weight on her. His grip slowly loosened until his hands rested over her wrists. In the heat of the moment, his rough fingertips slowly brushed down her arms, across the sides of her body, down to her waist.

She violently shivered from his touch, goosebumps popping up all over her body. The pleasure of his lips touching hers mixed with the adrenaline, making her body aware of his even more. Feeling the air on her wrists, she realized her hands were free. They shot up and buried themselves in his hair, trying to bring his mouth closer than it already was. The end was worth the wait; her body started reacting like it had so long ago and she welcomed the natural response. God...it felt so GOOD to feel like this... In response to the tingling in her body, her lips touched his with even more ardor than before. His body pressed against her almost entirely, but suddenly, she felt like it wasn't enough. She wanted more. She just realized it...but wasn't afraid of it. Images of her sleeping in his bed, with his arms around her, filled her mind and her heart was nearly devoured with love. She wanted that to happen so badly now, it was almost unbearable to handle. She knew he gave her so much and she wanted to do something to show him just HOW much she cared. A kiss or holding hands wasn't going to cover it in her mind. Not anymore. His legs tried to nudge themselves between hers. When she realized it, she willingly complied, almost eagerly making room for him, bringing the emotions to an even higher level. Her skin shivered, lips trembling. She didn't know how long they stayed that way, embracing each other's emotions, till he pulled away from the kiss, confusing her.

He finally realized a few things. One, he wanted Hilde MAJORLY. Two, he wanted to ask her if SHE was ready. Three, they were making out on the GROUND in the SCRAP YARD. He pulled away from the kiss, both of them breathing hard. Out of all the scenarios of him beginning something on a higher level with her, this was NOT one of them! But...oh what a way to START... His body was not behaving after that kiss he finally gave her. Settled against her body like he was, he knew such a natural thing like this couldn't be wrong. He looked into her eyes, so filled with desire as they stared at him, proving his convictions true. She DID want him, he could see it in her eyes. But he wanted to make sure. "Hilde." He whispered, voice husky and low. Was that HIM?? Her eyes fixated on his lips and he inwardly smiled. It was nice, but he wanted her ATTENTION for once. Leaning his head forward, he nipped her ear, wondering if what he was doing was counter productive. "Do you...want to?" He tentatively whispered.

'There was NO easy way to ask that.' He thought, feeling embarrassed by posing a question of that magnitude in such a dumb way. He heard it, and had to convince himself that did not just sound as stupid as he made it appear.

She started breathing hard and his head pulled back to look at her. He stared into her eyes, though his chest tingled through her haggard breaths. "Hilde?" Violet darted all over her face, taking everything in. Doubts started to appear in his mind. He hoped he wasn't pushing her; that was the LAST thing he wanted. He wanted it to be perfect, and although the setting wasn't exactly INSIDE the house, the emotion was there and he knew it. "I didn't mean to push you." He dejectedly whispered, thinking she didn't want to take another step. "It's okay if-" Her lips quieted his rant, one hand pressing his head down in a heavy kiss. It was filled with as much passion and excitement as before, but relieved him a great deal.

When he pulled away, she smiled a little. "I thought you'd NEVER ask." She whispered, stomach nervously fluttering. This was so NEW to her and she didn't know what to expect... He grinned wickedly and quickly stood up, hand extended to help her up. After dusting her back off, she stared at him, feeling a little nervous of what was in store that she had NO clue about. He must've sensed her hesitation because he pulled her into another breathtaking kiss, leaving her insides quaking when he pulled away.

"Shall we?" He softly asked.

She barely nodded and he grinned...before leaning down...then all she saw was his backside. "HEY!" She protested, shocked to the core. She was jostled with every step he took, most of it he figured on purpose. With a single thought, a hand quickly swung up and down over his rear. He loudly yelped, and seconds later, she felt the exact action over her own butt. She jumped, not expecting it, but grinned despite herself. "This is NOT the best way to START this Duo!" She whined over his shoulder. "God, I feel like a caveman's WOMAN!" She muttered, getting a quick laugh from him. The door creaked open and her eyes widened. "You'd BETTER NOT hit ANY part of my body on the walls or door! Or you're not GETTING any!"

He chuckled at how normal she could seem, even when her eyes were pure nerves. "Don't worry babe. I won't let you get hurt." He softly answered. She believed him, because it was all he was DOING since they MET...protecting her in some way...or making up for unintentionally hurting her.

They got inside the house and he closed the door, swinging her head and body around a few times. She tracked the places he past in her head till they stopped. 'Probably in front of his room.' She idly surmised. That nervous feeling returned tenfold, but with the heat in her stomach of what was to come. She was excited and tense at the same time...relaxed but on edge of what was going to happen. All sorts of COMPLETELY stupid doubts started to crop up. 'What if I'm not GOOD ENOUGH? This's DUO here...I'm a virgin...but is he? ...Does it really MATTER??' She finally retorted. It was wrong to immediately assume that he WASN'T a virgin, just because she was, but with HIS looks and charm, she couldn't imagine ANY girl not wanting to give herself to him with a single grin or wink, or kiss. She sighed. 'Case in POINT.' She mused, eyes rolling.

When he finally put her down, he could see she was thinking about SOMETHING. Her posture was pure tenseness, and he kept in mind that she never did this before. He slowly closed the door, as if locking them in with this fate, and walked back to her. He was slightly distressed; he didn't WANT her to be nervous. His hands raised to her face, stroking every angle of her skull until he cupped her chin, his thumbs caressing her skin. He brought her close and kissed her, feeling her arms weakly wrap around his waist. Her lips still trembled under his, but she returned the kiss with the same emotion as she did outside. 'It's a start.' He thought, inwardly smiling. A simple kiss could make her go weak? DAMN he was good! He fought not to chuckle when he softly pulled back. He noticed the dreamy look on her face and the corners of his mouth tilted. Stepping back once, he wondered the best way to START. After a bunch of quick thinking, his hands raised to her face again. His fingertips slowly ran down her skin, past her jawline, to her neck and collarbone. They ran along the length of her body, continuing the direction down the center of her shirt, to her jeans. He watched as her eyes darkened and fluttered closed a bit and the simple movement hit his insides. GOD, that was so SEDUCTIVE! Slowly tugging on the sides of the shirt she tucked in, he softly kissed her and pulled the t-shirt out of the restraints. Grabbing the edges, he gradually raised the fabric to the top of her chest and broke the kiss long enough to get the shirt off her head.

Kissing her again, his greedy eyes remained closed, letting his hand brush down her stomach, to the hem of her jeans. He slowly unbuttoned and unzipped them as well, letting his fingers feel what his eyes couldn't see. Two fingers hooked themselves through a belt loop and tugged till they slid off her legs on their own. He heard a soft plop as the material hit the floor and knew his next mission was going to be hard. Hands roamed up the sides of her thighs, past her waist and turned toward her back to slowly move the straps of her bra. He broke from her mouth and leaned down to lightly kiss the skin the strap once touched. His hands found the clasps and worked on getting the hooks undone. That finally accomplished, he took hold of the material and slid it from her arms at an agonizing slow pace. Stepping back, the bra fell with the rest of her clothes as he let his eyes take a long awaited look at her body in all its glory.

She was totally relaxed, all logical thoughts flying from her mind at about ninety miles an hour. The bra material finally slid from her arms and the magic of his lips left her body as he clasped her hands, stepping back an arms length to look at her. Feeling suddenly self-conscious under his heated stare, she looked down to ignore any feelings she could see in his eyes. There was nothing major about her body so she didn't know why he was staring. She was thin and not didn't have too many curves that she was proud of. She resisted the urge to uncomfortably fidget. "Beautiful..." He whispered. She looked in his eyes, feeling a full body blush start. "You're so beautiful..." She felt any and all doubts fly from her head. She was unconsciously proud that he approved of how she looked, yet somehow knew would love her regardless. He apparently saw something she didn't, but she wasn't going to harbor any more doubts. In moments, they wouldn't even be an issue anyway.

She smiled a sheepish grin and demurely ducked her head, not really accepting his praise. "Thank you." She whispered.

He let go of her hands and walked to her, unable to keep himself from touching her any longer. His hand lightly held the bottom of her breast, his head bending to kiss it. "I should be thanking you." He huskily whispered.

Hilde's eyes closed, her head tossing back in wild abandon as new feelings assaulted her. They were so powerful and quick, she almost forgot to breathe. "Why?" She breathed softly, barely able to get words out.

His lips parted as his tongue brushed against her skin, setting her body to flame. "Because I am able to love a goddess."

Her knees were in quick danger of buckling and she quickly brought her arms up to his shoulders for balance. Thankfully, that didn't stop the delicious torture he set out upon her. "I-" She faltered, unable to top that. He thought her a GODDESS? Her...plain ol' Hilde Schebeiker?? Suddenly feeling boldness from somewhere, she gathered any and all courage she had to take the next step on her own. "Stop..." She stood strong and stepped back slightly, meeting his eyes. "It's my turn." The disheartened, guilty look in his eyes vanished, taken over by a slight playfulness. She reached up to kiss him, a little less uncomfortable about being nearly naked in front of him, and was met halfway. Her hands rested on his shoulders, slowly drifting down to the buttons on his shirt. Her fingertips took on a slow, teasing quality she didn't know she owned, but didn't fight. She left his lips to kiss down his chin, throat, the hollow point in between his collarbone, and after every button she undid. She was thankful he wasn't wearing another shirt; she wanted her lips to have a lasting effect on him like he had done to her. A soft groan came from the center of his chest and she felt good knowing she was causing a reaction within him, even if she could feel the muscles strain under her lips. Apparently, he was holding back to allow her the pleasure of doing what he did to her...even if it WAS hard on his self-control When she finished with the buttons, her hands brushed up the muscles in his chest and up his shoulders, gracefully moving under his shirt to remove it.

She stared at his developed chest and arms with intense pleasure, reveling that those arms protected and held her. She brought a hand to his chest and held it over his heart. 'This is what I love about you Duo.' She tenderly thought. Her lips gravitated over his heart and emotionally kissed it. Feeling it thunder rapidly under her lips, her nails lightly raked down his stomach to his pants. She copied his earlier motions and heard the soft plop of material as it fell to the floor. Allowing herself a greedy moment, she too stepped back and appreciatively looked him up and down.

Duo knew she liked what she saw by the size of her eyes and the reaction from her body. Teeth nibbled her lip, even though her eyes lowered with a small smile. With the way she stood, hands clasping his at his sides as she stared into his eyes, almost totally nude, she was the most sexy thing he ever laid eyes on. He couldn't help himself anymore, he HAD to have her. 'Enough foreplay.' He quickly decided. He walked to her and in one swift motion, picked her up. His eyes roamed over her petite figure and he wondered how she could look this good, and how she could be his. There was never anything given to him as freely as her love, anyone less deserving of her than he was. Yet she chose him to be with in this moment, to give herself to him. Was it any wonder he suddenly felt she was so above him?? His head leaned down to capture her breast again, relishing in the softness of her skin. She moaned, and her heartbeat thundered under his lips. He knew their hearts matched time as well as emotion. He took the few strides to his bed and bent down, gently laying her on it. For once he was thankful he was messy and hadn't made his bed. The corners of his mouth tilted up as he gracefully bent down. He joined her, slowly moving over her. Removing the last of his restraints, and hers, he tossed them in some corner in the room, forgotten until morning. He kissed her again, somewhat hesitant to begin. The feel of their skin touching sent off such delicious sensations, but he was afraid to lose control with her. He didn't want to scare her away. Not NOW.

In the back of her mind, she wondered what was keeping Duo. Oh, she wanted him to keep kissing her in this tender way, but she wanted him to get ON with it. She KNEW he wanted to continue because she could feel it, but didn't know what the matter was. 'Unless...' She broke the kiss and stared into his perplexed eyes. 'There are only two things that would make him stop.'

"Duo," She whispered, "you can't hurt me you know." The catch in his eyes and clench in his jaw gave him away.

"I know that." He lowly whispered, less than convincing. That WAS it. it was either the scar he was worried about or the pain of taking her virginity, or both.

"No you don't Duo." She whispered. A hand came up and brushed against his lips. "You can't keep kissing me forever. I know you want this, I do TOO, but you need to learn to let go of the past."

He smiled gently as he stared at her. He knew she was right and he was just fooling himself to think he would hurt her again. Hilde was stronger than he was in some aspects of life and when it came to emotions. That's why he considered her his rock in spots. This would be one of them. Even when she was nervous and insecure, she still encouraged him. Without any other thought, a hand brushed down the side of her waist, down to her hips. Two fingers slipped past the patch of midnight hair and he felt her readiness. It spurred him on and with a kiss, he parted her legs a little more and entered her. Breaking the barrier at last, the pleasure wave hit him, tickling every crevice of his brain. He pulled back, ready to move again, but her entire body tensed. It should've been expected, he knew. It was always painful for women at first, until they were able to overcome the pain and let the pleasure take them. He stopped the kiss and any possible movement. Withdrawing completely, her legs relaxed a bit and he felt disappointment and anger at himself for going too fast. He just couldn't trust his body when he was around her. But he knew what to do though. He looked at her baffled eyes as she stared back, a smile tipping his lips.

"Relax." He gently whispered, slowly stroking her face. She swallowed and slightly nodded. No good, she was still wound too tight. She was too nervous and in control. To fully relax, she had to lose COMPLETE control. A small smile took possession of his mouth. "That's not relaxing...but I know what IS." His smile broke into an impish grin, knowing EXACTLY what would get her to relax. Unlike Hilde, he was NOT a virgin, now regretting losing it. He wanted to give himself to her, like she was to him, to feel the passion and ecstasy for the first time. He ignored her questioning looks and kissed her jaw. Moving down her neck, he hit that hollow spot in between her collarbone. Her skin stretched as her head craned back to give him better access. He breathed in her essence and moved down, brushing his lips over her chest. Her back arched as he kissed and nipped his way over her rib cage to her stomach. Her heart beat wildly within those simple confinements and he brought a hand up to touch a rib. He kissed to the softness of her stomach and his fingers reveled at how soft she was. She didn't do anything special like normal women did, it was just how she was. His lips touched her navel and his tongue explored the hollowness of it. She moaned and shuddered. The muscles in her stomach relaxed intensely, but he was not to be wavered in his 'mission'. He fought a smile at how he figured this to go. A mission? More like a privilege. Reaching just below her navel, he reached the tip of hair that matched the bunch on her head. His fingers ran over it and without any other thought, his lips kissed her very being.

The breath left her lungs in a hurry and she immediately gasped. Her entire body jerked straight up, hips bucking. God...it felt like she just shot off the BED!! Feelings flew through her veins at a frightening pace and one hand gripped the sheets like a vice. Her hips arched up until he put a restraining arm over the top of her waist. She whimpered as his mouth and tongue teased, kissed, touched, and caressed the most feminine part of her body. Familiar feelings quickly built up and she sought that same release, but still wanted to feel those emotions at the same time. Her breathing picked up till she was nearly panting. God...oh GOD...it felt so GOOD. Instincts told her to move up toward the source of her pleasure, but he still kept her firmly routed to his mattress. Her hands wound themselves around his pillow as her back arched. The heaven she felt amplified quickly. Her mind kept telling her how good it felt, moans and whimpers flew from her mouth in appreciation. The anticipation broke and everything seemed to build, then stop for a split second. Time stopped. Her right eye twitched involuntarily. Her hips lowered barely a fraction before locking in place. She cried out Duo and God's multiple times. Her ears picked up the yelling, unbelieving the loudness her moans climbed to. It felt like heaven and hell rolled into one. She wanted it to stop, but didn't at the same time. Her entire body spasmatically jerked and hands gripped the pillow in a death vice. If he didn't stop SOON, she was liable to rip the sheets!

It felt like paradise to hear her call his name. Though he accomplished the tough feat of making her relax, he was going CRAZY! Her voice prompted so many reactions from his body, most a driving urge to stop and take her. He let her go when he didn't think she'd be able to take anymore. Her body immediately collapsed into the mattress, leaving her gasping for breath. 'Total relaxation...' He knew any move he made now would only add to her pleasure instead of kill it. He quickly moved back over her and entered her. He moved slow to gauge her reaction for any kind of pain. When he found none, he picked up his pace as her legs widened in acceptance. Her hips met his until they moved as one, until his veins couldn't take the feelings anymore. Passion heightened and coursed...hot...white. They surged through his body at a rapid pace. He felt her tighten as her body spasmed once again, his matching hers. He breathed her name as she cried his again and felt everything slip away.

Exhausted, he stopped and weakly braced himself on his elbows over her, not moving from his position. Her ragged breathing matched his and tried to calm it down, but kissed her instead. When he pulled back, he stared at how beautiful her face was and knew that they connected body now as well as soul. Her eyes fluttered open with great will to stare at him, and he knew it didn't get any better than this. "I love you Hilde Schebeiker." He whispered; all the emotion they experienced in his voice.

She smiled slightly and rubbed her fingers against his chin. That...that...was INCREDIBLE... If she only had the breath to summon, she would tell him so. But she was too tired right now...so tired... "And I love YOU, Duo Maxwell." She lovingly whispered.

He rolled onto one side and held her in his arms, covering them with the sheet. "Rest now babe." He tiredly muttered. His face next to her hair, she nodded, tickling his nose. He stayed up long enough to listen to her breathing slow, feeling her heartbeat thud softly until he let himself slip into sleep as well.


	9. Epilogue

She woke up to bright light and chirping birds...and the feel of strong arms wrapped around her, a body snuggled against her back. 'How cliché,' She mused, 'but how nice.' She smiled and stretched, feeling a bit sore and gross from the dried sweat on her body. 'A shower sounds nice.' She heard soft breathing in her ear and grinned. 'But I wouldn't want to wake him up just to have one.' She became aware of every inch of skin that connected and his arms around her chest. She blushed, grinning like an idiot when she remembered last night. God, was that a DREAM?? If she weren't lying naked behind an equally naked Duo Maxwell...then she would've attributed it to one of her wild fantasies!

Her back arched against him in the stretch, feeling better than she had in a long time. That felt so right, why did they bother sleeping in their own beds?? From now on, she was going to sleep in HIS room every night if she could help it! Either that, or he was staying in hers. All she knew in this moment was, NEITHER of them were sleeping alone again.

"If you knew what was good for you...you'd stop that." He mumbled in her ear, fighting a yawn and the conscious that pulled at him. Though extremely tired, his body warmth mingled with hers and he snuggled against her a little more.

A blush crept up on her face, but she grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Do what?" She innocently asked, the smile in her voice giving her away. He tiredly chuckled and she allowed herself to giggle. "I was just stretching before I got a shower. I'm all icky from...last night." She softly finished, timidly pressing her lips together.

"Sounds like a plan." He nuzzled against her one last time and kissed her ear before grabbing the sheets. Feeling the air hit his body, both of them sat up and she turned to him.

"Good morning sleepy head." She giggled, grinning evilly. He raised a brow and tilted his head, but couldn't keep his eyes on just her face. He roamed across her body, wondering if last night was a dream. If the proof wasn't facing him, stripped in all her glory, he wouldn't have believe it.

"Hilde, about last night-" He paused, than decided to voice his query. What could it hurt? "Was that a dream?"

She kindly smiled and ran a hand across his chest. Who knew? They thought the same thing. Maybe making love for the first time between them really WAS that great... "I don't know." She playfully said, looking at her hand. "It didn't feel like it to ME." She wryly looked up into his eyes. Somehow, she felt bolder than the entire night last night. Being naked in front of him wasn't such the big deal she made it to be... He blushed and she grinned, leaning forward. "I'll tell you what it FELT like though." She was inches from his face, having his undivided attention.

"What?" He whispered, eyes stuck on the movement her lips were making.

She quickly kissed him and pulled back to talk against his lips. "It felt like HEAVEN...if there IS such a place for what you made me feel last night."

He captured her lips with his, his arms tightly keeping her to him. 'If that isn't a compliment...' He thought. 'AND an ego booster!' He broke away grinning like a mad man. She used that time to get off the bed and walk in the direction of the bathroom. She didn't bother to hide anything because now there WAS nothing to hide. He didn't seem uncomfortable being naked in front of her, so why should she? The old, headstrong behavior she held onto in the past reared up as she did everything but saunter through the doorway. He watched her hips and legs move and slid off the bed quickly, unable to take his eyes off the ravishing creature in front of him. When she rounded the corner, she gained altitude as he swept her up in his arms to carry her to the bathroom.

"You LIKE carrying me to places that I can just as easily WALK to, don't you?" She retorted as he set her down.

"Yup." He grinned. She impulsively hugged him, holding him before pulling back to kiss his collarbone, before she pulled back completely. "That was a GOOD and BAD idea." He joked, heat trailing through his body. She giggled and stepped towards the shower to turn it on.


End file.
